Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion ( 1943 )

672
OFFICE OF THE A’IT’ORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
!’ :--I=
Eoanorable C. FL Carne&
State Auditor
Austin, Texas
D0ar Sir:
wo ham *aoe1o
requesting the opfoion of th
tfoncd subject, whloh lett
f the booka, aria aooount6
Offfoe, we ffnd that thrr,
that e rather large umber of euoh aooounte hare not
been pald in to the General Land Mfioc-in taot,
Boa. 0. R. Caraesi Pam 2
these aooounta whloh are aatually peist due, aoim ror
eereral pears, amount to seyeral thousand dollare,
part of this haying boon iron the adsinistration
limedlately prior to that of the present Land Comala-
slonsr.
*Ie it legal for these lGntt.ers to ba handled in
this rammer?
Vlhether or not it lr legal upon whom dooa the
re~ponelbllltf rest ror the 0~0lieotlon or the66 oooounta
for mnel due the State? Pleaae lnolnde also JOUY
Opinion as to how far moh reeponaibllity lesllg
extenda- ia the oolleotlon of these runds chargeable
personally to the one who authorized tha credit, to
Wm extent that he or his bondaaen oould ba held
&&ally liable if the xzmye lnyolyed are not
oolleated without delay?”
eeotion 29 or Article z 0r the conet1tution or
the State of~Texas proride that ill fees that map be payable
bl law ior any oeroios perrormad by the ComnI8eloner or
the General Land Ofriee, or in his Offloe, shall be paid,
when Yeoelmd, into the State ~TreaeurP.
&tiole 9913 Revised 01~11 Statkw~or the
State of Tsras requlr+ the Land~Coamirsioner to keep a
fee book in hia ofiios in whioh he shall ,enter all the fser
ior any serrioe mme.d in’ Art$ole 391& of said itatutes snd
to quarterly file with the aomptroller a Yerlfled aooouut or
all reso 60 reaciood by him, and at the end of each qoartar
to pay oyar to the State Treasurer all monem~.reoelted
under the proyislons of the rtaf;utcs.
Artiale .3918%eyis:cd Ciil,l $tatutao authorlzcs
and requlrea the Land Oommlsslonec to oharga ior tha use
of the stats as riling fee8 , ror oertifled ooplee and Patent
fees the amount or Paes in eald Artiole 3918 enumerated.
iSrtior0 5250 Revised Ciyil Sta%Utes or Tams rf4uirea
the Comlseioner to &PC bond with three or more suretier
ror rirty bhouaand dollars, payable to an& to bc approved
by the Governor, oonditlonad for the falkhful Uieoharge of
his oificial duties.
Hon. C. H. Carnero Rag' 3
ft lr the oplnlon of thlr Department that the
Laod Commissioner la without authorit to extend aredlt
in reapeat to the feea required bt eat& artiale 3918,
Revised Civil Statutes, to be ahargad by the Land Com-
mlaalonar, on the aontrary the Commira~onrr is to
reoeire the requirti free at the tin0 of or before
flline or dellterlng the doaumsnta or prrformlng the
aerrlaea in said statute set out and in the went the
State auatalna any lose bj reamon of the Omralaalcaar
extending orsdft ln reapeot to auah statutory fees), thr)
Colaaziaaionot and the sureties on his offiolal bond would
be liable to the Stat0 for the.amount oi auah 1088, It
In the oaas of Thurston County ?a. Chmelka 294
New. 857, 132 A.L.R. 1083, it la mid by the aourtt
Y’%s rule for the Intarpratatlon of bonds aees``
to be that, whsn a pub110 ofilaer gives a bond for
the ialthful dlaaharge of his duties, the word
‘faithful’ is held to imply that ha has assumed
that meaaurs of reaponslbllity laid on him by law,
had no bond been @tent that tha objeat of a bond
ao oonditloned i8 to get ,auretlea for tha performmoe
of t&e duties of the oiilae aaaordlng to law, and
that anything la unfalthfulneaa whloh the I&w does
not exouae.
In four latter you lnqulre upon whoar rests tha
rsapoaalbllltp to oollaot aooounta for the lervioea of
the Commlaalonar in flllng doaumenta and to? aeFtliled
ooplsa ato. undn aafd Artlale 3918 Revised Civil Statute&
Slaoa there is no authority on the part ot the otilalal to
oreate auoh aooounta theor la no dtatutory provision with
rerpsot to the oolleotlon thereof. Thr offiolal bond of
the otflolal protsotr the rights of the Stat6 to rsasive
the fee8 protlded for ln said Artiale 3918,
Pew truly 7oura,
ATTORRFT 0-L O? TEXAS