Frey v. Master Feeders II, Inc.

486 P.2d 1377, 207 Kan. 764, 1971 Kan. LEXIS 466
CourtSupreme Court of Kansas
DecidedJuly 16, 1971
DocketNo. 46,052
StatusPublished

This text of 486 P.2d 1377 (Frey v. Master Feeders II, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Kansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Frey v. Master Feeders II, Inc., 486 P.2d 1377, 207 Kan. 764, 1971 Kan. LEXIS 466 (kan 1971).

Opinion

The opinion of the court was delivered by

Fatzer, J.:

This is an appeal from the judgment of the district court sustaining the validity of a survey made by the county surveyor of Haskell County, to establish the north-south half section line between the west half and the east half of Section 26, Township 27 South, Range 34 West, of the 6th Principal Meridian. The appellant Frank Frey owned the northeast quarter, and the appellant Paul J. Cook owned the southeast quarter of Section 26. As hereafter indicated, the appellee, Master Feeders II, Inc., had contracted to purchase the west half of Section 26, and it received a warranty deed to the real estate on July 31,1969.

There is no real dispute of the pertinent facts which follow: During March or April, 1969, Sam Moler, the Haskell County surveyor, was requested by a Mr. Oneal, the then owner of the northwest quarter of Section 26, to establish the north-south half section line in that section. Moler commenced preparation of the paper work and was prepared to send out notices of the survey when Oneal advised him he had a land transfer coming up and to hold up on the survey.

Thereafter, and on a date not disclosed by the record, Master [765]*765Feeders entered into a contract to purchase the west half of Section 26. During June, 1969, Moler was contacted by J. R. Ham, who represented Master Feeders .which then occupied the west half section, for a survey of the north-south half section line of Section 26. The record does not disclose the date of the request for the survey, but it was originated as a private survey for the reason Master Feeders did not feel the adjoining owners should pay the expense of the survey.

Moler commenced the survey in June, 1969, and, with the help of two assistants, proceeded to establish the respective comers and boundaries of Section 26, and to locate the north-south half section line pursuant to recognized survey procedures and engineering practices. Moler testified the survey began with a search for any existing corners; that there were no government stones or markers in the area; that the original government corners being charcoal stakes, pits and mounds, did not last very long, but that through records in his office it was evident to him the iron pins that were established in 1925 and during the early 1930’s were established from a considerable number of government comers, and that the survey was based upon three of such established comers in the vicinity.

When the survey disclosed the half section line was so “far off” that there would be a shift to the east of the line fence which went down the north-south center line of Section 26 — as much as 50 feet on the southwest corner of Cook’s land and approximately 81 feet on the southwest corner of Frey’s land — a meeting was held in Moler’s office at which time Ham, Frey and a Mr. Guyer were present. Moler showed what had been done, and explained the result of the survey. Master Feeders was concerned about the location of the half section line, and an attempt to negotiate a property change was made between Master Feeders and Frey. Frey did not acquiesce in changing the half section line, and advised Moler that if there was a legal way to establish a line, that should be done. A legal survey was intended by those present to mean a survey conducted according to law.

Moler commenced proceedings to conduct a legal survey, and on July 3, 1969, caused notice of the survey to be published pursuant to K. S. A. 19-1423, and on July 24, actual service thereof was made upon the adjoining landowners, J. R. Ham, representing Master Feeders, and Frank Frey, Satanta, Kansas, and Paul J. Cook, Craig, [766]*766Colorado. At that time, Moler knew Master Feeders had contracted in writing to purchase the west half of Section 26.

The notice of survey recited that pursuant to a request by Ham for a survey of the boundary line between the west half of Section 26 and the east half of that section, “and to establish the corners and boundaries between said tracts,” the county surveyor would on July 28, 1969, proceed to make the survey and establish the corners and boundaries between the tracts as provided by law, and that the costs would be apportioned between Master Feeders and the occupants affected thereby. The notice further recited the survey would begin at 10:00 o’clock a. m. on July 28, 1969, at the northwest corner of Section 26, and proceed as provided by law. It further stated that “final viewing” would begin at 2:00 o’clock p. m. on that date at the northwest corner of Section 26, and proceed as provided by law.

At 10:00 o’clock a. m. on July 28, 1969, pursuant to the notice of survey, Moler went to the northwest corner of Section 26, and he was the only one who appeared. The survey had already been completed and he did no chaining. However, he went around the section and remarked the corners that had previously been established by relocating the iron bars that had been driven at the corners. The report of the private survey made in June was on file in his office and the report of that survey “set” this survey. In other words, after the notice of survey was effective, Moler interpreted the private survey as a legal survey on July 28. Frey had notice and knew of the survey in June and Moler talked to him concerning it, and he was aware of what was going on.

At 2:00 o’clock p. m. on July 28, Moler went to the northwest comer of Section 26 for the “final viewing” of the survey. At that time, J. R. Ham, Frank Frey, Paul J. Cook appearing by Lelyn Braun, his attorney from Garden City, two county commissioners, and one or two other interested parties, were present. The record discloses the following:

“Q. Now by being there at the final survey or final viewing what do you mean by that?
“A. Well the methods and procedures of the survey are then explained and any questions anybody has at that time it is for them to find out how it was done as to if they have any need to appeal or if they don’t like it, it is up to them to say so at that time.”

Moler explained the procedures of establishing respective corners and boundaries of Section 26, and the appellants offered no wit[767]*767nesses or testimony at the final viewing to challenge the procedures followed, or the correctness of the survey.

On the following day, July 29, Moler filed the report of the survey of Section 26 in his office as being the official survey to determine the boundary line between the east half and the west half of Section 26. Thereafter, the appellants, Frey and Cook, timely perfected appeals from the report of the survey to the district court of Haskell County pursuant to K. S. A. 19-1426.

While the appellants’ statement of points make several assignments of error, it may be said their complaint concerns four principal points. First, the survey in this case was actually a private survey made in June, 1969, while K. S. A. 19-1425 makes no provision for a survey prior to the date fixed in the notice of survey — in other words, that no survey actually occurred at the time and place stated in the notice of survey. Second, the county surveyor was not a licensed surveyor when the actual survey transpired. Third, that notice of the survey was not sent to all interested landowners as provided in K. S. A. 19-1423, who could be affected thereby.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
486 P.2d 1377, 207 Kan. 764, 1971 Kan. LEXIS 466, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/frey-v-master-feeders-ii-inc-kan-1971.