In pursuance of Section 5 of the Act of May 24th, 1887, P. L. 189, as amended by the Act of May 28th, 1915, P. L. 591, regulating the practice of pharmacy, the said State Pharmaceutical Examining Board is charged with the duty and vested with the power to examine persons desiring to carry on the retail drug and apothecary business or to act as an assistant therein, and to grant certificates of competency or qualification to such as may be found duly qualified in accordance with the provisions of said Act. The second paragraph of said Section further provides, inter alia, as follows: "All persons applying for examination for certificates, to entitle them to conduct and carry on the retail drug and apothecary business, must produce satisfactory evidence of having had not less than four years' practical experience in the business of retailing, compounding, or dispensing of drugs, chemicals, and poisons, and of compounding of physicians' prescriptions, **** And those applying for examination for certificates as qualified assistants therein must produce evidence of having not less than two years' experience in said business." The term "satisfactory evidence" has a well defined meaning and import. In "Words and Phrases," Volume 7, page 6335, many cases are cited in support of the following definition: "Satisfactory evidence, which is sometimes called sufficient evidence, means that amount of proof which ordinarily satisfies an unprejudiced mind beyond a reasonable doubt." The Century Dictionary defines it as: "Such evidence as in amount is adequate to justify the court or jury in adopting the conclusion in support of which it is adduced." This definition is quoted, with approval, b ythe Court in Walker vs. Collins, 59 Federal Reporter, 70, as is also that of Bouvier's Law Dictionary, wherein "satisfactory evidence" is defined as: "That evidence which is sufficient to produce a belief that the thing is true; in other words it is credible evidence." The authority of said Board, in pursuance of said Act, to grant a certificate of competency to any one to carry on the retail drug and apothecary business is conditioned, among other things, upon a due finding by the Board, from "satisfactory evidence," that the applicant for the certificate has had the requisite practical experience in such business. The Act itself fixes the standard of the evidence needed to prove that fact, and if it falls short of what is commonly understood and defined as "satisfactory evidence" it fails to fulfill the Act's requirement. Words or terms which have judicially acquired a definite and well settled meaning are presumed to be used in a statute with that import. Endlich on the Interpretation of Statutes, 367. To justify the granting of a certificate of competency to carry on said business, the said Board should be satisfied and convinced beyond a reasonable doubt that the applicant therefor has had the required practical experience. The Board itself must be satisfied upon that point. The evidence adduced in proof thereof should be of that amount and credibility sufficient to produce the belief and lead the Board to adopt the conclusion that the applicant has in fact had the necessary experience to entitle him to a certificate. Such a fact is a matter susceptible of definite and ordinarily of easy proof. It rests with the Board in all cases to pass upon the question and adjudge whether, in credibility and other adequacy, the evidence offered to prove this essential fact measures up to the provision and requirement of the Act that it be "satisfactory evidence." You are accordingly advised that, under said Act, the power and duty belong to the said Board to find and determine from the evidence produced by an applicant for a certificate of competency to carry on the retail drug and apothecary business whether or not the applicant has had the practical experience in said business required to entitle him to such certificate, and that a certificate is properly refused where such evidence is not "satisfactory evidence" to the Board in proof that the applicant has had the requisite experience. Secretary of the Commonwealth CHARTERS ISSUED. Name. Location. Allentown Standard Mfg. Co., Buyers & Investors Bldg. & Loan Philadelphia, .Philadelphia, .Metal Ware $25,000 .Reading, . Candies, etc., 10,000 25,000 100,000 1,000,000 Machinery 100,000 5,000 25,000 'hiladelphia, 25,000 .....Pittsburgh, 5,000 Uniontown, 10,000 Dickson Rendering Co., John |