CHAIN PHARMACIES

Evening Star, Issue 22362, 11 June 1936, Page 10

CHAIN PHARMACIES

HOUSE COMMITTEE’S REPORT STATEMENT BY CHEMISTS' GUILD In connection with the report of the Industries and Commerce Committee of the House on the petitions of a large number of chemists and others against the development of the chain store system in their industry, the Chemists’ Service Guild of Otago and Southland has, through its president (Mr J. A. Race) issued the following statement:— “As a body, we wish to pay a genuine tribute to the fair and impartial manner in which Mr Jordan (the chairman of the committee) carried out the Government inquiry into .the ramifications of chain pharmacies. We must also express our appreciation of the presence of the Minister (the_ Hon. D. Gj Sullivan) at all the sessions, and of the personal interest he has taken in the matter. “ The report states that chemists must 1 put their house in order.’ A most important fact bearing on this matter, and one of which no mention was made in the report, is this—for many years representations have been made to previous Governments by the Pharmacy Board to have the Pharmacy Act of 1908 amended in order that the board should have some control over members generally. How, then,_ we ask, is it possible for an administering body "to ‘ put its house in order ’ when such means of control are denied it by the Government of the day? A few years ago the pharmacists formed a New Zealand Guild, and one of its principal functions has been to protect the public from false claims, quack medicines, etc. At the same time, it will be found that pharmacists have always been in close touch with the Public Health Department' and have cooperated with the Government in formulating regulations in regard to poisons, dangerous drugs, and other matters, all of which are to the benefit of the general public. And such regulations have been carried out by us to the best of our ability. “ We will say that we give the public, through the medium of the allnight pharmacy (of which many people necessarily avail themselves), a twenty-four-hour service. It might interest the public to know that this night service is entirely financed by the pharmacists themselves. “ It must be generally admitted that chemists have been in a precariojjs position for some years, the main contributing factors being the depression, the introduction of sales tax, and the increase in exchange, as against which there has been no increase in prices to the public. Further, direct pricecutting campaigns which have been common to New Zealand, have had| very serious effects upon them. “ We are, in common with others, faced with shorter working and business hours, but we offer our full cooperation to the Government in arranging such hours without disturbing a necessary public service.”