CHEAPER PRESCRIPTIONS

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19339, 1 June 1937, Page 5

CHEAPER PRESCRIPTIONS

OTAGO THEORY ASSAILED VIEWS OF WHOLESALERS (Special to the Herald.) AUCKLAND, this day. A suggestion that a reduction ot the cost in chemists’ prescriptions is the result ot reorganised buying arrangements was denied yesterday by representatives of wholesale druggists in Auckland. Commenting on the reported remarks of a Dunedin chemist regarding the efforts of retailers to put their house in order they stated that apparently a continued effort was being made to saddle the wholesale druggists with a 1 the blame for tbe state of affairs which tlie Government bad ordered to be remedied.

“No good purpose can bo served by the remarks attributed to a chemist in Dunedin,” the manager of one wholesale firm said, “Difficulties confront both the retail and wholesale sections of the trade to-day and the utmost unanimity and cooperation is necessary if things are to be put on a proper footing. Wholesale druggists generally stated that they did not suggest that reorganisation. 'However they considered that bulk buying by the retail chemist would not bring about the desired results as the relief afforded to retailers would be onlv temporary and the scherne would react to the detriment of both sections of the trade, as well as the buying public. It was stated that the remarks of the Dunedin chemist gave the impression that tho retailers had been able to reduce the cost of prescriptions by 20 per cent because of some, reorganisation m their buying arrangements. The wholesalers held that the reductions had been brought about purely as a result of internal organisation by the chemists themselves. ______