SALE OF POISONS

Southland Times, Issue 22362, 29 June 1934, Page 8

SALE OF POISONS

CHANGES IN ACT. ISSUE OF LICENSES. (From Our Parliamentary Repox-ter.) Wellington. June 28. Full sympathy with the desire of chemists to have the regulations relating to the sale of poisons tightened up was expressed to-day by the Minister of Health, the Hon. J. A. Young, who stated that it was his intention to introduce the measure referred to in the Governor-General’s speech as early as possible this session. Various conferences had been held with interested parties before the measure was drafted, and it was hoped to place on the Statute Book legislation that would be workable and acceptable. Mr Young agreed that the existing regulations were out of date, in that they contained no provision for power to incorporate schedules relating to active poisons produced in recent years. Full arrangements will be made for this in the new Bill, a feature of which is a provision that has been made in respect to licenses to control the sale of poisons. Also, all industrial poisons will be dealt with. This part of the Bill will no doubt include such commodities as sheep dips and rabbit poisons. It was proposed to bring down a Bill last session, but the fact that the House of Commons had at that time similar legislation before it caused it to be withheld here, and it was decided to await the passing of the English Act so that the local legislation coxxld be guided by it. However, the English Act, which entails the establishment of a Poisons Board of 19 members, is not suited to New Zealand conditions. In the proposed measure no setting up of a board is contemplated, this step being regarded as too cumbersome. With the exception of a minor amendment relating to the laying of poison in public places, which was inserted in 1927, the 1908 Act has never been altered. This Act consolidates four separate Acts, the earliest of which dates well back to 1871. Since that time there have been many poisons then unknown produced and placed on the markets.