Commonwealth v. Burke

34 Pa. D. & C. 447, 1938 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 231
CourtPennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, Dauphin County
DecidedNovember 10, 1938
Docketno. 310
StatusPublished

This text of 34 Pa. D. & C. 447 (Commonwealth v. Burke) 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
Commonwealth v. Burke, 34 Pa. D. & C. 447, 1938 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 231 (Pa. Super. Ct. 1938).

Opinion

Richards, P. J.,

specially presiding,

On June 4, 1937, Charles D. Burke applied to the Treasurer of Mifflin County for a retail dispenser’s license. He filed with his application a bond in the sum of $1,000, dated June 1, 1937, executed by him as principal and by the Continental Casualty Company as surety.

A license was granted to him which was to expire May 31,1938. On February 8,1938, the Liquor Control Board issued a citation to Burke, requiring him to show cause why his license should not be revoked and the bond forfeited. On February 19th, the board sent to him by registered mail a letter, dated February 18th, notifying him of the hearing on the citation. This hearing was held on March 1st, at which time he did not appear. The record indicates that he did not receive the letter until March 5th, the delay in delivery being unexplained, and on March 16th, the board took action revoking his license and forfeiting the bond. On May 20th, judgment was confessed on the bond in this court. On July 15th, the surety presented a petition to open the judgment for the reasons hereinafter discussed, and on July 20th, the Attorney General moved to dismiss said petition. On September 14th, an agreement of counsel was filed raising additional questions of law.

There seems to be no dispute as to the facts in the case, but several questions of law are involved which the court must consider.

[449]*4491. Is section 13 of the Beverage License Law of June 16,1937, P. L. 1827, constitutional insofar as it provides for giving notice of a revocation proceeding to the licensee by registered mail addressed to him at his licensed premises?

The Beverage License Law of July 18,1935, P. L. 1217, provided, in section 13, that licenses might be revoked by the court “upon due notice and proper hearing being given to the person so licensed”. Since no method of giving notice was prescribed, personal notice was required. Inability to give such notice made revocation impossible. To remedy this situation the Beverage License Law of 1937 was passed providing that notice be given to the licensee at the licensed premises by registered mail.

There are many laws of this Commonwealth which provide that notice be given by registered mail. We may mention specifically the following: Public Utility Law of May 28,1937, P. L. 1053, sec. 1002; Pennsylvania Labor Relations Act of June 1,1937, P. L. 1168, sec. 10 (e) ; Milk Control Law of April 28, 1937, P. L. 417, sec. 405; Orphans’ Court Act of June 7,1917, P. L. 363, sec. 12 (a) ; Negotiable Instruments Law of May 16,1901, P. L. 194, sec. 105. Others could be mentioned.

It has been definitely held by our appellate courts that a method of giving notice may be adopted which is reasonably likely to inform the party involved of the proposed action.

“Under all the authorities, notification, in a manner reasonably calculated to give a party knowledge of a proposed exercise of jurisdiction, and an opportunity to be heard are essential requisites of due process of law in judicial proceedings”: DeLucca’s Liquor License Case, 124 Pa. Superior Ct. 500, 509.
“When the State legislature prescribes a reasonable method of service, it is as to persons resident herein and those seeking relief in our courts due process”: Nixon v. Nixon, 329 Pa. 256, 266.

[450]*450It has been held that notice of dishonor of a negotiable instrument given by mail is sufficient.

“. . . since the Act of May 16,1901, P. L. 194, section 105, ‘Where notice of dishonor is duly addressed and deposited in the post office, the sender is deemed to have given due notice, notwithstanding any miscarriage in the mails.’ ‘Under this section, due notice of dishonor is deemed to have been given when it is shown that the notice is properly addressed and deposited in the post office, whether it has been received or not’: First Nat. Bk. of Hanover v. Delone, 254 Pa. 409, 412”: Bittenbender Co. v. Bergen, 277 Pa. 27, 30.

We feel that notice by registered mail is reasonably designed to inform the party involved of the proposed action and that it is due process. We can see no reason to set aside such a method which has been sanctioned by many other laws and has been accepted for many years. We conclude that the act is not unconstitutional in providing that notice be given by registered mail.

2. How is time to be computed with reference to notice of revocation?

Section 13 of the Beverage License Law of 1937 provides as follows: . . .

“the board may . . . cite such licensee to appear before it or its examiner, not less than ten nor more than fifteen days from the date of sending such licensee, by registered mail, a notice, addressed to him at his licensed premises, to show cause why such license should not be suspended or revoked.”

In the instant case the hearing was held March 1,1938, and notice thereof was mailed to the licensee on February 19,1938. The question is: Was this notice given not less than ten days from the date of hearing?

We have been referred to Gregg’s Estate, 213 Pa. 260, as authority for excluding both terminal days. However, this case relates to charitable bequests which were void unless made “at least one calendar month before death.” [451]*451The opinion in this case states that it was unnecessary to consider the Act of June 20, 1883, P. L. 136. We feel,, however, that this case is not authority in the present instance.

The Act of 1883, supra, provided that in computing time the first day should be excluded and the last included. It has been held that this method of computing time applies to the law of mechanics’ liens: Herr v. Moss Cigar. Co., 237 Pa. 232. To the same effect is the case of Rich v. Boguszinsky, 88 Pa. Superior Ct. 586. In this case the court, in an opinion written by Judge Cunningham, not only showed that in computing the time for filing mechanics’ liens the Act of 1883 applied, but it distinguished this construction from that used in the Gregg case. The mechanics’ lien law provides that, before a mechanic’s lien can be filed by a subcontractor, notice must be filed and that “such notice must be served at least one month before the claim is filed.” It was held that a lien entered on November 19, 1923, after notice given on October 19, 1923, was proper. In reaching this conclusion it quoted the Act of 1883. Here the court excluded the first day and. counted the last. If this is a compliance with the statutory-requirement that notice must be served at least one month before the claim is filed, we feel that the same theory of computation should be used where the statute requires that hearing be held not less than ten days from the date of sending notice.

It will be observed that the Statutory Construction Act of May 28, 1937, P. L. 1019, which was enacted and was effective prior to the institution of the revocation proceedings in the instant case, provides for the computation of time. Section 38 of said act reads as follows:

“When any period of time is referred to in any law, such period in all cases . . . shall be so computed as to exclude the first and include the last day of such period.”

Since this is a very recent enactment of the legislature relating to statutory construction, and applies to “any [452]*452law,” we feel that it is obligatory upon the court to apply it to the instant case.

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Bluebook (online)
34 Pa. D. & C. 447, 1938 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 231, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/commonwealth-v-burke-pactcompldauphi-1938.