OTAGO PHARMACEUTICAL ASSOCATION.

Otago Witness, Issue 2928, 27 April 1910, Page 11

OTAGO PHARMACEUTICAL ASSOCATION.

The following is tho annual report of the committee of the Otago Pharmaceutical Association, to be presented to the annual meeting of members to be held on Friday, April 29: " Owing to the disruption of the parliamentary session last year, consequent upon the, absence of the Prime Minister from the Dominion, there were no new acts of Parliament, on- amendment's of existing acts of interest to members introduced. Nevertheless there were several important moves in pharmaceutical matters in New Zealand which received the consideration, of the committee. Prominent amongst these were (1) a request of the association's opinion as to Dr M'Keilar's (Auckland) proposal to amend the Pharmacy Act in regard to hospital nurses; (2) wineselling prosecutions; (3) a proposed formulary; (4) protecting the pharmaceutical professional status; and (5) a proposed poisons act. Concerning the first matter, it as superfluous to report that the members ot the committee were uniformly unfavourable to the proposal, and in stating the considerations leading them to disagree with the suggestion, thanks are due to our president (Mr Hoffman) in giving the benelit of his long hospital experience. •'Several wine-selling cases have been tried in the New Zealand courts during the last 12 months, each bringing forth its own defence. The most important was that against an Auckland grocer for selling Steam's wine. Doubtless every member ot the association has received from Stearns representative (Mr Dawson) a copy of the opinion of one of Dunedin's leading counsel on the legal aspect of the case, and can. form his own conclusions as to the position. . , . " Concerning a new poisons act. Ims subject has been an annual one with the Otago Pharmaceutical Association since 1?98. The committee is still of the opinion that, unless a new act places the control of sales under the Pharmacy Board, it is Of no use urging amendment of the existing statute. The chemists are the properly educated body to understand requirements governing tb.3 sales of poisons, and unless an act olaoes the administration in the hands of" their representatives, there is no other recognised authority in the Dominion technically trained to exercise the necessary discrimination in carrying out the provisions of a poisons act. _ "It gives the committee satisfaction to report a credit balance of about £24. At the same time it regrets to state that the amount of outstanding subscriptions- is nearly double that of last year.