CHAPTER 53

AN ACT to prohibit commingling of burley tobacco; to define
methods of sales on loosefloors; to prohibit the dissemina-
tion of false information; to designate the Commissioner
of Agriculture and Immigration to enforce this law; to au-
thorize the promulgation of rules and regulations; and to
provide penalties for the violations of this law or valid
rules and regulations promulgated hereunder. rH

171

Approved February 23, 1950

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

§ 1. The Commissioner of Agriculture and Immigration
is hereby vested with the authority and he shall administer and
enforce the provisions of this law and he has authority to es-
tablish and enforce reasonable rules and regulations not incon-
sistent with the provisions hereof, for the purpose of carrying
out the provisions of this law.

§ 2. It shall be unlawful for any person to commingle,
mix, place in same basket with other tobacco or in any other
manner or means to handle tobacco so as to lose its identity,
for the purpose of sale at auction, looseleaf tobacco grown by
one producer with looseleaf burley tobacco grown by any other
producer, or of the same producer after being placed on loose-
leaf floor.

After tobacco is weighed and set upon the warehouse floor
for sale no basket of tobacco shall be moved, without the con-
sent of the owner, from its place on the floor until sale is con-
firmed by the owner of same. This shall not apply to official
inspectors of the Department of Agriculture, who in the course
of their duties find it necessary to move piles of tobacco.

§ 3. Sales of burley tobacco at warehouses or loosefloors
shall be conducted so as to conform to one of the following
methods:
(1) Sales to be at the rate of not more than ninety thou-
sand (90,000) pounds per hour, per set of buyers, or

(2) Sales to be at the rate of not more than three hundred
sixty (360) baskets per hour per set of buyers.

4. Any information pertaining to weights of tobacco
sold, prices paid or amounts of tobacco handled, disseminated
by any warehouseman, his employees or agents shall be accu-
rate and substantiated by records kept at the warehouse or
loosefloor.

§ 5. The violation of any provision of this law or valid
rules and regulations promulgated hereunder shall constitute
a misdemeanor and shall be punishable by fine of not less than
Fifty Dollars for the first offense and for each subsequent offense
shall be punished by a fine of not less than Five Hundred Dol-
lars or imprisonment in jail not less than thirty days, or both
such fine and imprisonment in the discretion of the court or
jury:

§ 6. If any section, part, clause, or clauses of this law
shall be declared unconstitutional by any court of competent
jurisdiction, such declaration of unconstitutionality shall not
affect the remaining sections, parts or clauses hereof.