Milk Control Commission v. Valleywood Milk Co.

64 Pa. D. & C. 89, 1948 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 146
CourtPennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, Dauphin County
DecidedApril 30, 1948
Docketno. 207
StatusPublished

This text of 64 Pa. D. & C. 89 (Milk Control Commission v. Valleywood Milk Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, Dauphin County primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Milk Control Commission v. Valleywood Milk Co., 64 Pa. D. & C. 89, 1948 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 146 (Pa. Super. Ct. 1948).

Opinion

Rupp, P. J.,

This is an action by the Milk Control Commission to recover, on behalf of certain Pennsylvania and Maryland milk producers, $55,819.30 on a milk dealer’s bond filed with the commission by defendant Yalleywood Milk Company (a [90]*90Pennsylvania corporation), as principal, and defendant Seaboard Surety Company (a New York corporation duly authorized to engage in business in Pennsylvania) as surety.

The bond, in the sum of $78,000, was given pursuant to section 501, as amended, of the Milk Control Law of April 28, 1937, P. L. 417, as amended, 31 PS §700j-101, et seq., prior to the issuance by the commission to principal defendant of a milk dealer’s license for the license year May 1, 1947, to April 30, 1948, inclusive.

The condition of the bond was that the principal “pay all amounts due with interest thereon, including all amounts due under the Milk Control Law and its amendments and the orders of the Milk Control Commission, or any other applicable official prices, or any lawful contract price, for milk purchased or otherwise acquired from producers by the principal during said license year, or upon such terms and conditions as the Milk Control Commission may prescribe.”

In its complaint the commission averred that during the period from May 1, 1947, to June 30, 1947, inclusive, the Valleywood Milk Company purchased and received milk from milk producers, in accordance with the Milk Control Law and official general orders of the commission, but failed to pay specified Pennsylvania producers specified amounts aggregating $35,-988.49 (subsequently stipulated to be $34,629.74) and specified Maryland producers specified amounts totaling $19,830.81 (subsequently stipulated to be $21,-189.56); that although requested to do so, both defendants have refused, and still refuse, to pay the aforesaid sums, hence its action on the bond.

Defendant Valleywood Milk Company, which is in receivership, did not file an answer.

Defendant surety company answered the complaint, admitting Valley wood’s failure, and the surety’s re[91]*91fusal to pay, but denying any liability on the surety’s part, alleging that:

As to the Maryland producers, the milk produced by and purchased from them was not subject to the jurisdiction of the Milk Control Law, the Milk Control Commission or the commission’s general orders; and that the surety bound itself (in case of Valley wood’s failure to do so) to pay only for milk purchased by Valleywood which was produced by Pennsylvania producers and sold at prices in accordance with the Milk Control Law.

Under new matter, the surety alleged that if the Milk Control Law should be construed to extend the jurisdiction of the commission to milk produced without the Commonwealth which is purchased by Pennsylvania dealers, it would be violative of the Federal and State Constitutions; and that even if the commission had jurisdiction so to do, it never issued any general orders fixing prices to be paid by Pennsylvania dealers for milk produced without the State.

As to both Pennsylvania and Maryland producers— under new matter defendant surety alleged that the implied condition of the bond was that the commission would enforce compliance by Valleywood with all the provisions of the Milk Control Law, and that since the commission failed to require Valle ywood to maintain within the Commonwealth for the commission’s audit and inspection the records specified by section 701 of the Milk Control Law (as to amounts of milk purchased, utilization of milk purchased, and payments made for such milk), the liability of the surety company was rendered greater than was contemplated, and therefore the bond was breached.

In its reply denying the allegations of the new matter, supra, the commission averred, inter alia, that, upon demand, Valleywood delivered the records required by section 701 into the possession of the com[92]*92mission’s agents for their inspection and audit. Also, that under the bond the surety obligated itself to “any lawful contract price” for milk purchased.

At the hearing before this court, counsel stipulated of record that although the commission did not require Valleywood to keep the aforesaid records within the Commonwealth, principal defendant maintained them at its principal offices in Washington, D. C., and that when the agent of the commission went to Washington and asked to see the records they were made available.

A brief was filed on behalf of 28 Maryland producers as amicus curiae.

The Statute

Section 501, as amended, of the Milk Control Law, supra, reads, in part, as follows (31 PS §700j-501) :

“It shall be unlawful for a milk dealer or handler to purchase, acquire or receive on consignment or otherwise milk from producers unless the milk dealer or handler shall file with the commission a corporate surety, individual surety, or collateral bond, approved by the commission. Except as otherwise herein provided, the bond shall be in a sum equal to the value of the highest aggregate amount of milk purchased, acquired or received by the dealer or handler from producers in any one month during the preceding calendar year, which value shall be computed according to lawful prices, and shall not in any event exceed one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000.00). The bond shall be upon a form prescribed by the commission, conditioned for the payment by the milk dealer or handler of all amounts due, including amounts due under this act and the orders of the commission, for milk purchased or otherwise acquired from producers by the milk dealer or handler during the license year, upon such terms and conditions as the commission may prescribe.”

[93]*93 Discussion

We see no merit in the surety’s contention as to the breaching of the bond. As indicated, the records required by section 701 were maintained and made available upon demand. Surely, the fact that Valley-wood kept the records in Washington, D. C., rather than in Pennsylvania did not so increase the surety’s risk beyond the intent of the bond as to terminate its liability thereunder. Nor, as alleged, is the commission’s failure to disclose to the surety Valleywood’s noncompliance with the strict letter of the statute in this regard a defense to the surety sufficient to avoid its liability on the bond. None of the cases cited by the surety in support of this contention is applicable. Moreover, we understand this point is not being pressed.

The bond being valid and there being no other contention as to Pennsylvania producers, we accordingly conclude, without further discussion, that judgment in the amount due them must be entered against the surety and in favor of the commission.

Is the surety liable under the bond for the amounts due Maryland producers?

In order to answer this question we must determine (1) Whether out-of-State producers come within the purview of the Milk Control Law, and (2) if so, is the act to that extent unconstitutional as placing an undue burden upon interstate commerce in violation of the commerce clause of the Federal Constitution?

We are satisfied that if the Milk Control Law were to be construed as applying to out-of-State producers, to that extent it would unconstitutionally regulate and burden interstate commerce. However, we shall not elaborate this point, since we have concluded that it was not the intent of the legislature that the act embrace out-of-State producers.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
64 Pa. D. & C. 89, 1948 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 146, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/milk-control-commission-v-valleywood-milk-co-pactcompldauphi-1948.