Thompson v. Railroad Commission

232 S.W.2d 139, 1950 Tex. App. LEXIS 2286
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedMay 31, 1950
Docket9900
StatusPublished
Cited by14 cases

This text of 232 S.W.2d 139 (Thompson v. Railroad Commission) 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
Thompson v. Railroad Commission, 232 S.W.2d 139, 1950 Tex. App. LEXIS 2286 (Tex. Ct. App. 1950).

Opinions

HUGHES, Justice.

Numerous railroad companies, wfio are appellants, sued the Railroad Commission of Texas and the Ray Smith Transport Company and Robertson Transports, Inc., both of whom are motor carriers, to set aside orders of the Commission, dated April 9, 1949, in which such motor carriers were granted authority to transport certain named acids, caustic soda, and molasses, ,in liquid form, in bulk in tank trucks to, from and between all points in Texas.

A non-jury trial resulted in a judgment sustaining the attacked orders.

We will discuss and determine each of the eight points upon which this appeal is based;

It is first contended that the Commission was without statutory authority to' enter the orders. This question requires construction of Sec. 1(i), Art. 911b, Vernon’s Ann.Civ.St., under which the Commission purported to act. This sectio'n ' reads:

“(i) ‘Specialized motor carrier’ means any person owning, controlling, managing, operating, or causing to be operated any motor-propelled vehicle used in transporting, over any public highway in this State, over - irregular routes on irregular schedules, for compensation and for the general public with specialized equipment, property requiring specialized equipment in the transportation and handling thereof; provided, that the term ‘specialized motor carrier’ as used in this Act' shall not apply to motor vehicles operated exclusively within the incorporated limits of cities or towns; and, provided further,the term ‘specialized motor carrier’- as used herein shall include those carriers who engage or desire to engage exclusively in the transportation of livestock, livestock feedstuff, grain, farm machinery, timber in its natural state, milk, wool, mohair, or property requiring specialized equipment as that term is hereinafter defined, or any one, or more, of the foregoing named commodities.
“For the purpose of' this Act, the term ‘specialized equipment’ includes, but is not limited to block and tackle, hoists, cranes, windlasses, gin poles, winches, special motor vehicles, and such other devices as are necessary for the safe and proper loading or unloading of property requiring specialized equipment for the transportation and handling thereof.
“For the purpose of this Act, the term ‘property requiring specialized equipment’ is limited to (1) oil field equipment, (2) household goods and used office furniture and equipment, (3) pipe used in the con[142]*142struction and maintenance of water lines and pipe lines, and (4) commodities which by reason of length, width, weight, height, size, or other physical characteristic require the use of special devices, facilities, or equipment for their loading, unloading, and transportation.
“For the purpose of this Act, the .term ‘oil field equipment’ means and .includes machinery, materials, and equipment incidental to or used in the construction, operation, and maintenance of facilities which are used for the discovery, production, and processing of natural gas and petroleum, and such machinery, materials, and equipment when used in the construction and maintenance of pipe lines.”

Appellants assert that under the rule of ejusdem-generis a-proper construction of this- statute would, prohibit the Commission from authorizing a specialized motor carrier to transport any commodity “except those of the same general nature, or having the sáme genus as household goods, used'office furniture and equipment, pipe and oil -field equipment.”

Section 1 (i) of Art. 911b, copied above,was added by’ the 47th Legislature in 1941 through the enactment of H.B. - 351, p.-713, Acts 1941, the first section of which contained a Declaration of Policy, from which we quote: “It is hereby declared to be the policy of the Legislature- to create a class of common' carrier- motor carriers designated as ‘specialized motor carriers’ to engage in the business of transporting for compensation or hire over the -highways in-this State over irregular routes or irregular schedules with ‘specialized equipment,’ oil field equipment, household goods, and-used office furniture and equipment, livestock, milk, livestock feedstuff, grain, farm machinery, timber in its natural state, wool, mohair, pipe used in the construction and maintenance of water lines and pipe lines, and in addition, all commodities which by reason of length,, width, weight, height, size, or other physical characteristic, require the use of special devices, facilities,, or equipment for .their loading or unloading, and all -commodities which require special facilities or special motor vehicles for adequate, efficient, or safe transportation; * *

This Declaration of Policy would clearly include transportation of the liquids involved -here because they, by reason of their physical characteristics, require the use of special facilities for loading and for safe, and efficient transportation.

This plainly expressed legislative policy and intent must be-given effect unless other, provisions of the, same Act are in conflict therewith. We do not so find them.

The common purpose of this Act was to provide for the safe and efficient' transportation of commodities having awkward or unusual physical characteristics.' Nothing else seemed to matter. It could hardly be contended that there was a grouping of intrinsically related commodities when milk and oil field equipment are mentioned in the same section. The only common denominator which these 'two commodities have is that the transportation of both, in -quantity, is difficult and requires special equipment and facilities.’ /

It would have been1 virtually 'impossible for the Legislature to have named- all- of the commodities which require special transportation equipment. The fact that some of these were specifically -mentioned does not detract from the législative purpose. That they were named is probably accounted for by their importance and thus were readily called to the legislative mind.

From 59 C.J. 981-4, as copied in Hurt v. Oak Downs, Tex.Civ.App., 85 S.W.2d 294, loc. cit. 298, suit dismissed by Supreme Court, 128 Tex. 218, 97 S.W.2d 673, we quote a statement of the rule upon which we base our action in overruling appellants’first point: “*. * * The doctrine of ejusdem generis, however, is only a rule of construction, to be ápplied as an aid in ascertaining the legislative intent, and can not control where the plain purpose and intent of the legislature would thereby be hindered or defeated;. nor does this doctrine apply where the specific words of a statute signify subjects greatly different from one another, * *

[143]*143By their second point appellants contend that the orders of the Commission are void since the Commission has not prescribed the rates to be charged by the motor carriers for transportation of the acids, etc.

Application to the Commission to .establish rates has been made by the motor carrier appellees.

It is the duty of the Commission to supervise and regulate rates of the appellee motor carriers. Sec. 4(a), Art. 911b, V.A.C.S.

The fact that the Commission issues the order or certificate before rates are prescribed does not render the order or certificate void. Texas & Pac. Ry. Co. v. Railroad Commission, Tex.Civ.App., 213 S.W.2d 99

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Thompson v. Railroad Commission
232 S.W.2d 139 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1950)

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232 S.W.2d 139, 1950 Tex. App. LEXIS 2286, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/thompson-v-railroad-commission-texapp-1950.