Philadelphia School of Beauty Culture v. State Board of Cosmetology

78 Pa. D. & C. 111, 1951 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 168
CourtPennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, Dauphin County
DecidedMay 28, 1951
Docketno. 1870; no. 22
StatusPublished

This text of 78 Pa. D. & C. 111 (Philadelphia School of Beauty Culture v. State Board of Cosmetology) 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
Philadelphia School of Beauty Culture v. State Board of Cosmetology, 78 Pa. D. & C. 111, 1951 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 168 (Pa. Super. Ct. 1951).

Opinion

Smith, J.,

— This proceeding is in equity. It was originally brought by Philadelphia School of Beauty Culture, a Pennsylvania corporation, plaintiff, against Francis B. Haas, Superintent of Public Instruction of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, defendant, to restrain the enforcing of an alleged unconstitutional statutory provision contained in section 7 of the Act of May 3, 1933, P. L. 242, 63 PS §507 et seq., hereinafter called the Beauty Culture Law, and a regulation issued by defendant pursuant thereto un[112]*112der which schools of beauty culture are not permitted to make any charge for materials used by their students in giving clinical treatments to the public.1

The Beauty Culture Law, as appears from its title, was enacted under the police power “to promote the public health and safety” and, among other things, regulates schools of beauty culture.

Section 7 of the act (63 PS §513) provides:

“Student Practice upon the Public for Pay Prohibited. — It shall be unlawful for any school of beauty culture to permit its students to practice beauty culture upon the public under any circumstances except by way of clinical work upon persons willing to submit themselves to such practice after having first been properly informed that the operator is a student. No school of beauty culture shall, directly or indirectly, charge any money whatsoever for treatment by its students or for materials used in such treatment.” (Italics supplied)

The regulation made by the Department of Public Instruction in section VII-C-7 of its Bulletin 605,1945, entitled “Interpretations and Regulations for the Administration of the Beauty Culture Law” sets forth, inter alia, that “Any direct or indirect charge for Beauty Culture Service in a School of Beauty Culture is definitely forbidden by Section 7 of the Act” and, further, that “All necessary supplies shall be furnished by the school, free of charge.”

The Bill

Plaintiff in its bill avers, inter alia, that continuously since 1933 it has owned and operated, and presently owns and operates in the City of Philadelphia, a school of beauty culture known as Rudemar School of Beauty Culture in which it has invested large sums of money in advertising, materials, appliances, ap[113]*113paratus, equipment and fixtures; that its school is in direct competition with schools of beauty culture located in adjoining States where there are no comparable provisions of the law with respect to furnishing clinical materials free of charge; that at the time of the filing of the bill it had an enrollment of more than 100 students; that the preparation and training for the practice of beauty culture require extensive clinical work by each student; that the reasonable cost of materials so used by its students in clinical work now substantially exceeds the sum of $5,000 per annum; that to compel plaintiff to absorb this cost will impose upon it an excessive and unreasonable financial burden, do it immediate and irreparable injury, jeopardize the existence of its school and invade its property rights. Whereupon, plaintiff avers that, although it at no time has charged and never will charge for students’ services, it does intend to charge the public the reasonable cost of materials used by them in giving clinical treatments and, further, that, to the extent section 7 of the Beauty Culture Law and the regulation issued pursuant thereto prohibit plaintiff from so doing, they are an invalid exercise of the police power and, otherwise, are unconstitutional and void.

Plaintiff, in its bill, does not attack or question any other provisions of the Beauty Culture Law, including the provision in section 7 thereof prohibiting a school of beauty culture from, directly or indirectly, charging any money whatsoever for treatment by its students.

The Answers

Defendant first filed an answer raising preliminary objections wherein it contended that the bill should be dismissed for the 10 reasons therein averred. In Philadelphia School of Beauty Culture v. Haas, 78 D. & C. 97, all the preliminary objections were dismissed. In so doing, this court did not pass upon but [114]*114reserved the constitutional questions raised in the bill and directed that the case proceed to final hearing. Defendant then filed an answer to the merits wherein proof of certain facts pleaded in plaintiff’s bill was demanded and, further, wherein it was averred that the provisions of section 7 of the Beauty Culture Law in question and the regulation adopted pursuant thereto were constitutional as a proper exercise of the police power.

Testimony was then taken and argument had before the court en banc. The case is now for disposition.

The Stipulations

Subsequent to the hearing several stipulations wer.e duly entered into. Under the first stipulation, approved by this court January 20, 1950, the State Board of. Cosmetology and its several members were substituted as defendants, in place of Francis B. Haas, Superintendent of Public Instruction of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.2 This stipulation further provided that “8. All previous references in the pleadings and in the trial of this matter pertaining to the administration and enforcement of the Beauty Cuture Law by Francis B. Haas, Superintendent of Pubic Instruction, original defendant, shall be deemed to be equally applicable to the State Board of Cosmetology and its members.”

Under the second stipulation, approved by this Court March 21,1950, it was agreed that, in the instant case, “the sole question to be decided by the Court of Common Pleas of Dauphin County, or by any appellate court . . . upon all the pleadings and testimony produced in support thereof, is the constitutionality of [115]*115section 7 of the Beauty Culture Law as applied to a charge by plaintiff’s school for materials used in clinical treatments given by students as set forth in the record.”3

Accordingly, we shall confine ourselves entirely to the single issue as stipulated by the parties.

Findings of Fact

1. Plaintiff, Philadelphia School of Beauty Culture, is a corporation duly organized and existing under the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, with principal office in the City of Philadelphia.

2. The duty of enforcing the provisions of the Beauty Culture Law of May 3,1933, P. L. 242, theretofore imposed on Francis B. Haas, Superintendent of Public Instruction of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, original defendant, was transferred by legislation enacted in 1949, and subsequent to the filing of the instant bill, to the State Board of Cosmetology, also created by legislation enacted in 1949.

3. The State Board of Cosmetology and Helen J. Dunbar, La Verta M. Harper, Charlotte W. Rice, Thomas W. Webster, and Francis B. Haas, Superintendent of Public Instruction, duly appointed members thereof, were thereupon, by stipulation approved by this court on January 20, 1950, substituted as defendants in the case at bar in place of original defendant.

4. Continuously since 1931 plaintiff has owned and operated in the City of Philadelphia and presently owns [116]*116and operates therein a school of beauty culture under the fictitious name of Rudemar School of Beauty Culture.

5.

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Bluebook (online)
78 Pa. D. & C. 111, 1951 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 168, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/philadelphia-school-of-beauty-culture-v-state-board-of-cosmetology-pactcompldauphi-1951.