OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS 

GRbVLR SLLLrnIB AUSTIN 

AZTOI”.” Owlm”AL 

Department OS Agriaulture 

AuMla, Texas 

Attentionr lir. 0. A. Xi&land 

tiar Sir: 

la thk 

the more heavlly’populatrd eountlem 

atat+ $8 dedreoun’of havlag a aountf Bealor OS reightr and nmaaurea and the quert$on 02 the 

legality of auoh aatiirit%ea hauls km brought up en& 

tad I)rpfirtaent hes been asked to get.thla lnfbrmation au 8008 a8 posslblo,. 

The oountytowhlohm refer haa onr'larlga 

alty with a very aotlvo olty mighta an6 8*Paurw 

drpartmmt whose aotiritior are amfinod to f&e 

limit8 c+i rrai4 oitr. !&in lwves the l mllar Oarma 
~@artaent of &rioulture, peg0 2 

and rue1 sections In the county unproteoted and in 

18x4 lnxtanoex both the merchants and the oommmera suffer for the lack ‘of auoh law entoroement. 

Theetate does not provide the neoesuary faoilitiex 

for rendering thla xervlw. 

The xaaller lnoorporeted town6 end villagax 

in this partloular county xre too xmxll to azpport 

ln4lvldual city wightx~aud meaeurex department8 and. 

have otfered their support to th6 oounty in helping tc pay the expenxsx oi 4 oountg sealer of rel.@tx 

and meaeures. . 

“We will appreoiate 4 prompt reply to the fulloxlng quextlonx ax the xounty budget for 1944 ix 

balng prepared at thx prxxent tfb and they,arx 

4lKlOux to inoluaa this XervlQe in x4me if in your 

opinion the matter oan be handled in 4 lag41 pp~nmore* 

."l. fr a s0unty has an axaixtant ocmntp~auF 

Qitor,~ ,a part ~oi.,uhQx4.4utkx .Lb ix to ohxok night ~,, 

an4 measure, raosiptx and dixbumieanntx, oi vxrioux 

oommo4ltles and auppliex being purohaxed by the 

oocmty and distributed to diiferent oounty departneat8 and to text, palntaln, an4 adjust the uxlgh: 

lng and neawrfng dxvicrx ownxd a&l axed by thx 

runty, would it be la&al for thx Oonkalxxioner ai 

Agriaulture to appoint xxi4 axalxtuit oounty 4u4itor ax xeelar or weights end nsaxurex and for him to 

6pand the remainder or his tin4 xxforola13 the slut0 

- weighta and m44xur4x 14~~ tlmughout the oounty, 

said county pay&g his *alar7 and neoexxary OPer8tlng l x p a n6e~. 

T?. Would it be leg41 rOr ,a 00Unt~ 6herlfS 

of his deputy to enforoe the welghtx and !mamayex 

laws of thlx xtate within his 0'11 4Ounty 4ithe With 

or without said xherlff or deputy sheriii bei Ipf; appointrd ba the 0omaix6iooer of Agrloulture xx 4 60x1- 

or or wQht8 and meaxurax~ 

If the Comairxioaer of Agriculture 4p 

painti3i6 6ttkt0 inxpeotor, the 10041 xe414r or -6 

0f thx 0lti46 or this 8tatx. would said axalor havx 

legal authority to aarry Qn laoh 4UtiOX OUtSid tbr 

ihita or hi8 0m 0ity.w 
Dspartiasnt or Agrloulturx, pgx 3 

Artialx 5705, Vernon*6 Civil Statutes of Texas, provldox: 

The Gomdxaioner oi Uxrketx and Warehouxsx 

xhall havi powxr au4 authority to enforce, or oxuxx 

to be enforoed, any prwlxion of this ahapter. Bx 

shall appoint a ahlaf deputy, who xhxll be known ax 

Chj.xr Deputy of Bielghts xnd Measure8. In the ab6WWO or ’ Inability of the Coamlxxloner, such deputy 

axy perform any duty rx ulrod by the provixionx of 

this ohaptrr. The Corm e xxloner xhxll also appoint 

suxh aUdItiona decufixx from firm to tims to serve 

ax xealerx ot weigbtx and ~xxxurex, 

maaaurex. 

The 0rfl06 of ooma%xxlnnor 0r Markxtx and Warehoa~ex~ 

the Market Andy ware howa hprmtaent,, and ~tho Wdgbtx aad &axarxx wx~x abollxhod~ by Aotx 19.25, 39th Lxglx&aturx oq Txxxa, 

oh. 13,' p. 35, Sea. l-6, and thAir datlrx aud funotlotix wrx 

ve8ted by l aiA A& in thx ~lxxlonxr or AgrlouLture. Also 

xoe~Arb1ol.e 56ii, Bxrnon*x civil Statutrx of Txxaxr 

Ax ln4hat64 by our xndrrxooring lx quoting Artiolo 

5705, thr hnmlxs~onrr oi Agtiioultura 4066 not have 4na2&yted power to appoint xaalorx of welghtx and aeaaurxx~ 

tha xtxtxtr lialtx xhxh appolntnantx to Uoxa xx racy br prwided for by approprlatlon or to thr lnxpxxtorx le.oturrpx’ 

ployxxx serving un4.r hir ax CODii46lOMr~ i&ox an ass I 

or xaatant 

auditor or olty xxalxr do not onmx Within thl4 group .that may 

b e appointed ax sealerr, we l nxwa r yo ur fir st a nd th ir d queistionx 

in the nxgative. For the 6amO re4xoning wo hdb t&xt a xiie+fr 

or blx deputy oannot be appointed 4x xuxh 4’ xealer~ 

publix oftixxrx poxxrxr only xuoh po~rx ax arx xxprexxly oonirrr~ upon them by law or ire nxoxaxarlly tipli@a 

rror the poworx so oonremd. Brpn’x Admr. v. Harvry’r Adm., 

11 Txx. 3U ; Duncan v., State, 67 8. W. 903; State ‘I*. Oxgo, 176 

8. w. 928, writ of error reruxed.. We have found no statute 

oonrenbg olthxr apxoliioally or by LrapllOxtlOn 4119 authorit 

upon thx sheriff or hi8 4ep&t lxx to rnforor the wx&htx and measure8 Uwx., wo do not odnk thr powera given to x xhmt or hlx 

deputy ax peaax otfiorrx glvrs them any aUthOritY TV Perfora tb 

adminlxtret~ve dutlsx of 4 sealer in enforolng thexe WOigh*x Qd 
Rapartiuent or Agrloulturx, paso 4, 

meaaurea lavje. We thareforo hold that 4 sheriff or his deputy 

aaunot enforoe Cheer lawa. 

We realieo the nerd for mrx xxalorx to l nforo e these 

said laws and am in sympathy with the situation ax pnxented 

In your request. The remedy however must oome f'rom the Legl8- 

latw. 

RQKZUb 

ROKzfa 

Yours very truly 

AT!IQlSZY QgNKRAL O? TEXAS 

Ey .(a~) Ro~;boOLoa~ 

APPROVSD JAR . ,lO, 1944 

(6) Oxovor,Sallrrr AL'IT- @lcLpffRAL ,j,]r - : . . ...' :.,:: '. : 

APmzmD 0Pxxxcm oomIxTl!EB 

RY (8) RWR, CRAIRMUN