OFFICE OFTHE ATTORNEYGENERAL OFTEXAS
**AUSTIN**

Hon. Leon Kotosky &%?.istsIlt

County Attornfty El Pas?, Texas 6 Dear Sir:

This.wllla of **April** 15, depar~nt 88 tc a photostatic

mxc of El. Paso count allllastmJ= **by the**  **count**

A **not rpwdl**  **t**

**elt** or Jcur ltte 0ptnl0n**0t** .a6 ling,~and..miag CoiJnt~ al.6dK~ paseogr-rdiPg d to lie



### reoerded

**e author.it**  **fes do86**  **has** heretororcr~ **been pass**  or the aoPftlloithio

**erded** ad ClTil stati ar T8x86,

of &oh cotity~therccord- *thcy~(lh&ll

provide : beak6 lli~~=hi43h

they is. authoris;ed

or

1s 6665, Betioed Glvil.Stat$:es of Taxaa, s Id detail *he duty of the bmnty s&rk tith respectto.reeordfmginstrriaants **authorized Br**  lair to be reoorded. This artlale reads as tollors:

*&oh reoardsr~tihall, *d&out delay+. reomd **ever$** instrtiment of nitb& author-. ized to be recordedby hlm,%@$oh is dspositedwith him for raoord, w%ththe&n. Leon Kotcsky, QxiI lP,,1939, Page 2

tickno*lodgiixnts,

proofs, affiGavits and certificates tkreto attached, in the crder &posited for record'by antering then word fcr word and letter for letter, and nCCitig

at ihe foGt of the record the hour and the day of the month and year when the %cstrment SC raoorded was deposited in fiisoffice for'racord."
It was held by the SupremeCourt of Vermont in the aase of Town of BeanIngtonTS. Edward**A.** Booth; **57 ’** **8.** L. B. 156, that mandamuswould not lie against the town **olerk** to aompel him tb diaoontinuel&is ~80~ or the photostatlo method of reoording instruments of whioh by lan'hewas made the recorder. This deofdon was an Interpretation or Artiole 3951, ~OeneralLaw8 o? **Vsrrnont,** whIoh **reads** in **pa&, that**  the alerk **shall:**

**FReaord at**  langth,~inbooks to be. furnishedby the town' The aourt, in speakingof the photogaphia method employed **by** the **alerk** said:

*It is plain that the clerkharr~re

### oordedat length and that the material he provided,used and the town paid for, were furnishedby the tarin., If, ritaia the lPsaning

OS the statute, the photostat10 **reaords** are booka, they lack nothIng requiredby General&ass, Artiole 3951-.., The objeot of the statute.......,.was to provide for the **making** o? **reoorda; not**  for the use of some partloularkind of books," The petitIoners,.in the ease OS ?eople ex r01 Anukmeohtvs. Flaas, 311 111. 164, 146 WE 549, 8oagBta mandamus to aompel a recorder of deeds to aopy a **deed** in writing in a well-boundbook insteadof using the photostatlo

method!.-of

reoording. The mandamuswas denied. The statute invol$edIn this oaae,was**wry** similarto Artiole 6595, supra,and is as follows:

"Everyreoorder shall, as soon asHon. Leon Kotosky, &pril 18, 1939, Page 3

praotiaable after the filing of any instrument in writing in his office, entitled to be recorded, record the same 6% length in the order of time of Its reoeptlon, in wellbound books to be provided for that purpose."
The oourt in its learned opinion, said:
**To rsaord**  **mans** 

### to **transoribe; to**  **write an**  aathentioaaaount of$ to prsssrva.thsmsm**ory of,**  **br written**  

### !or other**ohsraotersi to**  enter.lna 

### book for ths parposo of pressuring satheatlaand oorreotevidence ot the thing reoordsd. Whatdver the method wed for raoording, it.18 a reoord of the 'thfngs rsoordsdas long.as it 18 a trus ssd oorrsat **,aopy.** objeot oi'rso~ IT a dead 18 to give petuit;l:

**aad;;;8oblio** tyj-&i&he& 5t-m: t&i-twopaln rsquirsastits--ot

e publib ~%%&Ys.thst: l&j shall bs soourateand durable......Zrer~ 6uah orrioernot 06ly hss ths rtWio~it~,but16x36-: quirad.tqlaw, to l xeroi~ an lnfelll~ent'dis-. aretion in tha p0rrow0e of his orrf0hl datfern.* la+ **r?qalns** hla to rsoomX'osrts3.n iastrumants

in a wsll-boundbook, but'lt:does. not **require** him to rssord.thsm11% any parti-. oulsr rethod.~As laag as **ths** wthod~adoptad by him 1s uourate and durable,he ha6 performedhis duty..+..lo argument is needed~tb ~dsmewtrate thst **pailrto~phy** 1s a auoh Waoauratsproosds iaf 3saki~ a **00py Of'**  **an'**IEstranentthan anp othsr knownmtho4.* Looking again **te oar**  Texas Statates, wa **Ob8em8** that it is the **duty** of the oounty alsrk to:

1. Provideand keep in their offias8 wall-bound books in rhioh they shall reoord instruments,

ward far word, and letter for lcwer.

. 2. Shoy in suah recordingall aaknorle&pnents,

praafs,affidavitaand asrtlflartes thereto attaahed.Hon. Leon Kotosky, April 18, 1939, Page 4

**3.** Cote et the foot 

### of the record, the hour and the day of the month and year when the instrument so recorded was deposited In his office for record.
The statutes are entirely silent as to the method by whiah suah Instruments shall be recorded. To determine whether or not the photostatlo method of reaording instruments is legal, it must be t.estedfor determination

solelyupon the basis of whether or not the duties of the oounty olerk hereinaboveset out oan be fully.

exeoutedby the use oi thla new method ai reoordlng.

The phraae "wall-bound book@’ as used in Artlole 6591, aupra,mad not naoeesarlly mean **a book**  In whloh the leaves ‘or pagas are not removable. Tha heglslaturanaturallyhad in mind in tha pasnaga of this aot, that the lmttrument would bezeoordqd in handurltlngIn a book in tiloh the pegw were -immovable. Mth oommdrolalneoesaity,the hendurltlng method gave way to the.apeedler **snd** more legible typewrIter method. It la a matter of ooumonknowledgethat the 

### book8 ln use generallyby oouuty olarks today are so oonstruotad as to psrmlt the lndlrldual pagee to be removed, typed and than peplased **in** the **books.**

'fhe proprlety~of

raoordlng in a 1~00s~ leaf book as 1s In oommon uaa In~Tesura **and** elaewherathroughout the oountry,was raised in the ease of Rlohardsonvs. looland, 133 YLlss. 41.7, 97 SO. 308, **and** the oourt held that ths faot that the statuterequired instrumentsto be reaorded in a %ell-hound *oak" did not require that tha pages **be** not removable.

ft .iathereion,,the opinion of this Dapartmmt, and you are 80 advised, that your oounty clerk oan install and use the photostatic method of reoording written lnstruments whloh he is required to **reaord**

such photostats are i diately lnsorporated bound books".gnd the other requirements ofHon. Leon Kotosky, April 18, 1939, Pa@ 5

the stetutss herein enumerated are rully complied with. Very truly yours



### LA:AW
**APPROVE&**

.