FRIENDLY SOCIETIES' DISPENSARY.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 14357, 29 October 1908, Page 3

FRIENDLY SOCIETIES' DISPENSARY.

EMPLOYING AN UNQUALIFIED CHEMIST. (Per United Pbess Asmciatioji.) GHRISTCHURCH, October 28. J. T. JJrice and eight others, being the Managing Committee of the United Friendly Societies' Dispensary, Lyttelton, were prosecuted this morning nil the information of C. W. Neilson, solicitor to the New Zealand Pharmacy Board, on a charge of carrying on business without the premises being placed in charge of a registered chemist. ( Mr Harris, who defended, admitted a technical breach of the law, and explained Hie circumstances. Mr Neilson, for the prosecution, said that the law required, in the interests of the public safety, that a duly-qualified man must be in charge of a pharmacy. The present case had been brought only ' alter repeated correspondence on the matter. Mr Neilson road a number of letters which had passed between the Pharmacy Board and the committee. The board lntd made it quite plain in its letters that the txmraiittec must employ a qualified man in die shop, and that it was incurring a penalty for every day ill which it did not do so. Mr Bishop, S.M., snid that the defendants had not been acting personally, but on behalf of an important institution, the LyUelton United Friendly Societies. If they had had any personal" interest in the business he would have inflicted a very severe penalty.' Tinder the act they were liable to a tine of £2 per day for every day 011 which they had committed a breach of the act in employing an unqualified and unregistered man. In view of the fact that they had employed such a man a second time after being acquainted of their position by the Pharmacy Hoard there was no excuse [or them. The law was a good.one, and designed to protect the public. He would record a conviction against each of the defendants, and would inflict a penalty on Mr Brice, as chairman of the committee, for one day of <10s on each information, with one set of full costs (£2 2s) on each information. Mr Brice was thus getting off very lightly.