Burka Bagging Co. v. State

131 S.W.2d 1111
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedSeptember 11, 1939
DocketNo. 5137.
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 131 S.W.2d 1111 (Burka Bagging Co. v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Burka Bagging Co. v. State, 131 S.W.2d 1111 (Tex. Ct. App. 1939).

Opinion

JACKSON, Chief Justice.

This action was instituted by appellees, the State of Texas and the Railroad Commission of Texas, against the defendants, R. E. Houston, a resident of Lubbock County, G. C. Shortes of Dawson County, the Plains Cooperative Mill, a corporation with its office and place of business in Lubbock County, and the Burka Bagging Company, a corporation with its office and place of business in Galveston County.

The appellees applied for an injunction to enjoin each of the defendants jointly and severally, their servants, agents and employees from engaging in the business of transporting commodities for hire by motor trucks over the highways of the State, from delivering commodities or receiving commodities to be so transported, and from aiding or abetting in the unlawful use of motor vehicles for transporting commodities for hire without first securing a certificate of public convenience and necessity and a permit from the Railroad Commission of the State to engage in such business.

The appellees also sought to recover about $400 in penalties.

The record shows that on April 5, 1939, the appellees applied to the 99th District Court of Lubbock County and the judge thereof in chambers issued to them a temporary restraining order as prayed for and directed the clerk to notify the defendants to appear before the court in the court house in Lubbock on May 3rd thereafter and show cause why a writ should *1113 not be issued temporarily enjoining the defendants and each of them from violating certain provisions of what is known as the Truck Law of the State of Texas.

In response to the notices given, each of the defendants appeared on May 3rd and announced ready for trial on the question as to whether a temporary injunction should issue pending final hearing of the cause and after hearing the pleadings, evidence and argument the court granted a temporary writ enjoining the defendants from violating said provisions of the Truck Law as prayed for.

The Burka Bagging Company alone prosecuted this appeal and we will state only such parts of the pleading and testimony- as are material to its contentions.

The parties agreed at the hearing that' none of the defendants had a certificate of public convenience and necessity nor a permit issued to them by the Railroad Commission to operate a motor propelled vehicle to transport freight for hire over the highways of the State of Texas.

The record reveals that the appellant had an office in Galveston, kept its bagging and ties stored with the Patrick Transfer and Storage Company, its agent •at Houston, and shipped goods to various towns and cities of the State, mostly by truck. Illustrative of the transactions involved, the Plains Cooperative Oil Mill of Lubbock on October 7, 1938, gave Mr. G. C. Shortes a letter addressed to the Patrick Transfer & Storage Company of Houston requesting it to-deliver to bearer, who would pay therefor, certain described goods the mill had contracted to purchase from appellant. The cooperative mill also gave to Mr. Shortes this instrument:

“Exhibit S6
“The Citizens National Bank Lubbock, Texas. October 7, 1938.
At sight G. C. Shortes.
Pay to the order of Burka Bagging Company $710.00.
Seven hundred ten and no/100 Dollars.
To Plains Cooperative Oil Mill
Thru Citizens National Bank, Lubbock, Texas.
Stamp* Paid October 17, Citizens National Bank, Lubbock, Texas.
Customer’s Draft.”

Mr. Shortes proceeded to Houston, presented his letter and this instrument to appellant’s agent in Houston, the Patrick Transfer & Storage Company; the merchandise was loaded on a truck, billed to him or his driver . for account of Plains Cooperative Mill; he endorsed this draft, transported the goods to Lubbock, delivered them to the Cooperative' Oil Mill, was paid $60 for the transportation of the goods from Houston and the draft for $710 which he endorsed, was paid to appellant.

On October 12, 1938, the appellant wrote its agent, the Patrick Transfer & Storage Company in Houston, as follows:

“We wish to thank you for your letter of October 1, regarding the request you have had from truck drivers to bill- the load direct to the driver and not to show the gin or oil company’s name on the bill of lading.
“We have checked into this matter and we do not see how we can advise you to bill the bagging out to the drivers unless they give you their check for the load.
“There is one other way that we can handle this matter, and that is by having the drivers present a letter from the gin or oil mill advising that they have sold the' bagging and ties to Mr. -, the driver, and in this way the bill of lading can be issued to the driver.
“We do not wish to become involved with the Railroad Commission over truck deliveries, and we also do not wish to lose any business, as we are sure that those drivers can get bills of lading any way they want them from some places. However, we can only give them a bill of lading showing their name if they purchase the bagging and ties.”

The appellant on May 3rd filed its plea of privilege asserting its right to be sued in Galveston County and on the same day it filed a pleading containing a general denial, an attack on the jurisdiction of the court because the amount involved was below the jurisdiction of said court, followed by a prayer for a dissolution of the temporary restraining order.

Under the statute creating the 99th Judicial District Court in Lubbock County the court meets on the second Monday in January, the twelfth Monday after the second Monday in January, the first Monday in September, and the eighth Monday after the first Monday in September. Under these provisions the court convened' this year on the third day of April and on the fourth day of September. The application for the restraining order was *1114 filed on April 5th and the writ granted in chambers and issued by the clerk on the same day.

The appellant had until appearance day at the term of court beginning on September 4th to file its plea of privilege and appellees had until five days thereafter to file a controverting affidavit. Article 2007 R.C.S.; Thompson et al. v. Pure Oil Co. et al., Tex.Civ.App., 113 S.W.2d 662, and authorities. The temporary writ was an interlocutory order and was issued on May 3, 1938, after the April term of court convened and we apprehend the court was without authority to hear and determine the plea of privilege at the time the temporary injunction was granted. Law v. Lubbock Nat. Bank et al., Tex.Civ.App., 11 S.W.2d 244. However, if the court was authorized to rule on the plea of privilege on May 3rd the appellant under this record is not in a position to complain of the failure to rule thereon.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Mooney Aircraft, Inc. v. Adams
377 S.W.2d 123 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1964)
Broome v. Smith
265 S.W.2d 897 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1954)
Houston Natural Gas Corp. v. Nueces County Water Improvement Dist. No. 1
157 S.W.2d 170 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1941)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
131 S.W.2d 1111, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/burka-bagging-co-v-state-texapp-1939.