Sparks v. State

1941 OK CR 100, 115 P.2d 277, 72 Okla. Crim. 283, 1941 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 100
Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma·Decided July 9, 1941·No. No. A-9828.·Published·Cited by 10 cases

Opinions

BAREFOOT, P. J.

Defendant, J. M. Sparks, was charged in the county court of Payne county with the crime of violating the “barber law,” was tried, convicted and assessed a fine of $25, and has appealed by transcript to this court.

The act under which defendant was charged was chapter 24, art. 2, of the 1937 Session Laws, 59 Okla. St. Ann. § 91 et seq. The specific charge was that defendant violated said law by cutting hair as a licensed barber *285 at a price less- than that fixed by the State Board of Barber Examiners. This act has been held constitutional by this court and the Supreme Court in the following cases : Ex parte Herrin, 67 Okla. Cr. 104, 98 P. 2d 21; Herrin et al. v. Arnold, District Judge, 183 Okla. 392, 82 P. 2d 977, 119 A.L.R. 1471; Vandervort et al. v. Keen, District Judge, 184 Okla. 121, 85 P.2d 405; Tennyson v. State, 70 Okla. Cr. 415, 106 P. 2d 1114; State of Oklahoma ex rel. State Board of Barber Examiners v. J. K. Gill, 189 Okla. 458, 117 P. 2d 538. It is unnecessary to- quote from, these, cases. They discuss and decide a number of the questions raised by this appeal.

In recognizing the rule announced in those cases it is contended that other errors were committed by the ■court in the trial of this case which necessitate a reversal thereof. The first alleged error is that the trial court erred in refusing to sustain the demurrer to the information. It is unnecessary to quote the information in full. It is contended in defendant’s brief that the information did not allege that said minimum price order “was duly given or made as provided by section 2894, O. S. 1931, 22 Okla. St. Ann., § 412, or other facts disclosing; jurisdiction of the Board to make it.” It is contended that the information is defective because “it does not allege what minimum price was- fixed by the State Board of Barber Examiners for hair cuts. * *

The information states: “* * * 'by charging one W'. E. Martin the sum of twenty-five (25c) for a hair cut, a sum fifteen cents (15c) less than the minimum price approved by the said Barber Board * *

It does not occur to us that this is pleading a conclusion. It is a mere matter of calculation.

It is next contended that a certified copy of the order of the barber board was not served upon the defendant, *286 but there was only served upon him a certified copy of the minimum price schedule. This question has been decided adversely to' the contention of defendant in the case of Tennyson v. State, supra. The further contention that the information did not allege that defendant “cut anybody’s hair” is without merit. It clearly alleges that he violated said order by charging one W. É. Martin the sum of 25 cents for a haircut.

The further contention that the information did not allege that said charge of 25 cents for a haircut was made in the city of Cushing is untenable. The information alleges that defendant was operating a barber shop in Cush-ing. That a minimum price order had been fixed for the city of Cushing, and that he had violated said order by charging W. E. Martin only 25 cents for a haircut. These allegations clearly and sufficiently apprised defendant of the charge he was to meet. Warren v. State, 24 Okla. Cr. 6, 215 P. 635.

It is next contended that the information did not allege that said minimum price order “was duly given or made as provided by section 2894, O. S. 1931, 22 Okla. St. Ann. § 412, or other facts disclosing jurisdiction of the board to make it.” This section is as follows :

“In pleading a judgment or other determination of, or proceeding before a court or officer of special jurisdiction it is not necessary to state the facts conferring jurisdiction; but the judgment or determination may be stated to have been duly given or made. The facts constituting jurisdiction, however, must be established on the trial.”

We do not think that this section of the statute applies to the issue here involved for the reason that the order of the board which establishes a minimum price for barber work is not a judgment or determination as referred to in the above section. See Ex parte Herrin, *287 supra; Cowan v. Maxwell, 27 Okla. 87, 111 P. 388. The judgments or determinations referred toi in the above section have reference to judgments of courts or to officers having special jurisdiction in designated cases or proceedings and not to the establishment of subordinate rules within prescribed limits and a determination of facts to which a legislative policy is to apply, such as the minimum price order here involved.

It is next contended that the court erred in not giving defendant’s requested instruction No. 4, which was as follows:

“You are instructed that if the order of the State Board of Barber Examiners fixes an unreasonable and arbitrary minimum price, and a price beyond which barbers may conduct a clean and sanitary barber shop, or if barbers in Cushing may conduct a clean and sanitary shop by charging prices less than that fixed by said Board, then you should acquit the defendant.”

It is the contention of defendant that this instruction was justified under the decision of Herrin et al. v. Arnold, District Judge, supra, by the Supreme Court wherein it was stated [183 Okla. 392, 82 P. 2d 982, 119 A. L. R. 1471] :

“The board does not have arbitrary power; the courts can still inquire into the question of whether its decisions are unreasonable, extravagant or arbitrary.”

That part of the opinion immediately following the above quotation states:

“If here the board has, without more, merely proved an agreement it has not acted according to law. We do not, however, so understand the pleadings. Presumably it has taken into consideration all conditions affecting the barber profession in its relation to the public health and safety, and has taken into consideration the necessary costs in the particular city or town affected in maintaining a barber shop in a clean, healthful and sanitary *288 condition, and has, after such investigation, made its official order fixing the minimum price for all work usually performed in a barber shop.”

It will thus be noted that, under the opinion of the Supreme Court in the above case, the presumption favors the validity of the order made by the board. The burden was therefore upon defendant to- show that it was illegal.

As above stated, the appeal in this case was by transcript. No part of the evidence appears in the record. The question as to whether or not the instruction requested by defendant should have been given by the trial court involves a consideration of the evidence in this case which does not appear in the record. Smiser v. State, 19 Okla. Cr. 86, 198 P. 110. See, also, Ex parte Herrin, supra.

It is next contended that the court erred in refusing to give defendant’s requested instruction No. 2, which was as follows:

“You are instructed that if you find that a true copy of the order of the State Board of Barber Examiners was not served or given to the defendant, then you should acquit him.”

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Sparks v. State, 1941 OK CR 100, 115 P.2d 277, 72 Okla. Crim. 283, 1941 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 100 (Okla. Ct. App. 1941).

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