PRICES OF DRUGS

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 91, 11 January 1921, Page 6

PRICES OF DRUGS

STEADY DROP REPORTED HIGH STANDARD OF BRITISH MANUFACTURE Signs of returning steadiness in the market of chemical and pharmaceutical requirements are reported in the last number of the '‘English Chemist and Druggist.” It is stated that there is increasing confidence on the part of Empire manufacturers to cover requirements, although chemists at Home complain that “ it is difficult to see how any decided improvement can take plane until relief is afforded from the present excessive- taxation, which discourages legitimate business enterprise.” A noticeable feature of the past year’s operations, uas been tho fairly steady drop in prices, to the benefit of the public. Interviewed by n Dominion reporter yesterday, a Wellington chemist said that in New Zealand conditions were becoming steadier. “It has been proved that England can produce better, drugs than could Germany before the war,’ he said, *‘nnd in this connection prices are becoming easier, and in some cases are less than (ho prices charged for certain lines by German firms in T 914 A marked new feature in the drug trade has been the entry of Canada into the field. The standard of drugs manufac tured in Canada is very high indeed, nnd its productions are only surpassed by English goods. British manufacture! s have not been idle during the war period, with the result that there has come improvement ntte.r improvement in the goods they produce. The American manufacturer cannot produce the goods that are manufactured within the Empire, and Japan also, in my opinion. iia« failed to give satisfaction." Dealing with drugs that previous to 1914 were manufactured almost entirelj in Germany--such as aspirin, bromide of potassium, bromide of sodium, etc.—tho Dominion’s informant stated that British manufacturers were filling the gap welt. "In our trade,” he said, "just as in many others, time has proved that Germany did. not possess the'world's; vnonopoly with regard to quality. . . . Italy has of Into taken to producing largo supplies of copper sulphate, nnd there b* no doubt that Italian competition is assuming larger dimensions.-Trom memos, sent to us bv English firms, it is anticipate;! that eventually the business will revert la Britain, and this will mean that prices in New Zealand will bo lessened appreciably. While in many cases prices of goods m our line have lessened, tluye have been some serious increases. The most noticeable increases have been in the prices of camphor, the most recent being 1000 per eent. on pre-war prices. Rose-oil and glycerine are also abnormally high, the increases to date being 500 per cent, and 300 per cent, on girtwar rates. Tho reason for this is thin, before the war most of these products -ame from the East and from Central Europe. . . . There Is no doubt, however, that Great Britain h e.« nmroasad, •nther than lowered, the therapeutic value of chemical goods that she has undertaken to manufacture."