VoL. i. No. 1 
THE CHEMIST AND DRUGGIST OF AUSTRALASIA 
7 
ai^pointed in his place. His health did not permit him to give 
the attention to the business that he desired. His reluctance 
to serve was, however, overruled, and on the motion of Mr. 
Brinsmead, seconded by Mr. Harrison, Mr. Chamberlain was 
unanimously re-elected. 
It was announced that the Treasurer had a small balance 
in hand, and the consideration of the balance-sheet was 
deferred to the next meeting. 
Mr. Brinsmead was then re-elected Chairman of the Asso- 
ciation, on the motion of Mr. Chamberlin. In returning 
thanks he expressed a wish that the example of the southern 
suburbs might influence the city and other districts to form 
similar useful associations. 
Mr. Witt was re-elected to the office of Vice-Chairman. He 
was reluctant to accept the position, as he did not consider it 
right that the same men should always remain in office. 
After considerable pressure, he finally accepted the post. 
Mr. Harrison was then re-elected Treasurer, and Messrs, j 
Bennett and Boss auditors. l 
It was decided that the next meeting should be held on the 
first Tuesday in March. 
The meeting then adjourned to the annual supper held 
in the room above, where a very fair cold repast was provided. 
About 30 sat down, including many visitors, among whom 
were Messrs. Hooper, Toinpsitt, and Rocke. No toasts are 
proposed on these occasions; but the chairman calls on 
various members of the company to entertain their friends 
with songs and recitations. Messrs. Ross, Chamberlain, Dare, 
0^yen, Mummery, Kkoglund, Harrison, and Bennett joined in 
this task, which was made easy by appreciative audiences. 
LEGISLATION DURING THE BAST SESSION. 
The past session has been fruitful in measures more or less 
affecting the interests of pharmacists. In the Victorian Par- 
liament several important Acts have been passed. The 
Pharmacy Act Amendment Act is summarised in an editorial 
article. We present here a short account of the provisions of 
the Explosives Act and the Eactories and Shops Acts, which 
have passed, and of the Dentists Act, which failed to become 
law. In the Licensing Act of Victoria the only clauses affecting 
chemists are almost identical with those in the Queensland 
Act, referred to in our Queensland letter. 
_ The Explosives Act 1885 contains enactments which have a 
distinct application to chemists and druggists who niayunwit- 
tingly^ commit offences involving heavy penalties, if their 
attention is not called to them. An explosive is defined to 
mean “ gunpowder, nitroglycerine, guncotton, fulminate of any 
metal, coloured fires and every other substance, whether 
similar to those above mentioired or not, used or manufac- 
tured with a view to produce a practical effect by explosion or 
a pyrotechnic effect,” Ac. 
Section 18 enacts that after the coming into ox^eration of 
this Act on 1st January, 188C, the manufacture of any 
explosive shall not, nor shall any process of such manu- 
facture, be carried on, excejjt at a factory licensed for 
the same under any regulation made under this Act; 
j>rovided that nothing in this section shall ax^jily to the 
making of a small quantity of explosive for the j)uiq 50 se of 
chemical experiment, and not for practkal me or for rale 
The penalty for so doing nmy include the forfeiture of all or 
part of the explosive or its ingredients, and a penalty not 
exceeding £100 a day for every day during which the manu- 
facture is carried on. 
When the regulations which the Governor is empowered to 
make are j:)nblished they may be found to contain other 
matters affecting our readers. But it will be noticed that it is 
made an offence to manufacture even coloured fires, either for 
use to produce a pyrotechnic display or for sale. The permis- 
sion to manufacture small quantities for the of 
chemical experiment will not allow their use on festivals, or 
the sale of even a quarter of a pound. 
These provisions may not be enforced. It will very likely 
be found easy as before to oblige one’s friends ; but at the same 
time the penalties involved, including a fine as high as £100, 
are too serious to be risked. Moreover, a case might occur, as 
recently happened in a chemist’s shop in the South of 
England, where a fatal explosion occurred during the manu- 
facture of some coloured fire. The distress caused by the 
(Rath of the apj^rentice who was mixing the ingredients and 
the damage to the shoj'), seemed sufficent punishment ; but, to 
hia suiprise, the chemist found that he had committed an 
offence against the Explosives Act, and he was fined a con- 
siderable amount. 
The Factories and Shops Act, which threatened to interfere 
considerably with the business of many chemists, was so 
modified by the Legislative Council that it will affect com- 
paratively few. Chemists and some other tradesmen are 
I specially exempted from the compulsory closing of shops 
j at 7 p.m., but municipal councils have power to make bye- 
' laws to regulate the hours of closing of all such businesses. 
■ But we call sx^ecial attention to the definition of a factory or 
workroom. Some of our readers may find that their labora- 
tories come under the definition, and in that case it behoves 
j them to obtain the Bill and study carefully its numerous and 
I far-reaching clauses. As the majority of our readers will not 
I be affected by the Act, and its regulations concern matters of 
detail only, we will not burden them with particulars. 
The definition of a factory or workroom, as amended by the 
Legislative Council and passed, is as follows: — 
“Factory or workroom shall mean any office, building or 
X)lace in which six or more persons are engaged directly or 
indirectly in working for hire or reward in any handicraft, or 
in preparing or manufacturing articles for trade or sale, 
and any office, building or place in which steam or other 
mechanical power is used.” 
As originally proposed, two persons working together consti- 
tuted their workroom a factory under the Act. 
The Dentists Act 1885, failed to pass tliis session. A Dental 
Board was to be appointed by the Governor to conduct examina- 
tions and grant certificates. A dentists’ register was to be keifi, 
to be open to inspection on payment of a fee of 5s., and also to 
be published annually in the Gazette. After 1st January, 188G, 
no unregistered person was to be allowed to take the title of 
dentist or any similar title, except a legally qualified medical 
practitioner, under a penalty not exceeding £20. Unregistered 
persons were to be dex^rived of power to sue for the recovery of 
fees for dental services, and to hold an appointment as 
dentist to any public institution. Qualification for registra- 
tion included all registered in the United Kingdom ; some 
who had x^ractised in other colonies or countries ; all who had 
been continuously and exclusively engaged in the x>ractice of 
dental surgery or dentistry in Victoria for three years, x^i’o- 
vided that such period had not expired more than one year at 
the time of the passing of the Act ; and of course those who 
had x^assed the examinations of the Dental Board. Puxjils 
who had been articled for not less than three years before the 
passing of the Act, and had paid a x^remium of not less than 
£50, were to be registered on attaining the age of 21, Exist- 
ing x^ractitioners could only secure registration by sending the 
fee (£2 2s.) and the necessary x^firticulars to the Registrar 
before 1st January, 188G. 
The Dental Board was to have comx^lete control of the 
examinations, regulations and fees. Registered x^ersons were 
to be exemx^t from service on juries, and there was a special 
reservation of the rights or privileges of chemists and drug- 
gists, or the customary x^ractice by any persons lawfully 
carrying on the practice, trade or business of chemists or 
druggists of any art, act or thing x^ertainiug to the practice of 
dental surgery or dentistry. 
One of the queerest legal xu’ovisions that ever came under 
our notice is tlie second clause in the Thistles Prevention Act, 
which gives the Governor in Council power at any time to 
declare any other x^lant to be a thistle. 
In Queensland a Licensing Bill has been i^assed, the xn’ovi- 
sions of which are referred to in our Queensland letter. A 
Licensing Bill was announced in the New South Wales 
Parliament before the resignation of the late Ministry. 
In South Australia a Weights and Measures Act has 
received the assent of the Governor ; an Exhibition Act, 
authorising the holding of an exhibition in the jubilee year ; 
and a Customs Act, giving the force of law to the new 
tariff. The full text of these measures has not yet come to 
hand. 
The Public Health Act, Tasmania, passed on December 5, 
deals in section II. with the prevention of adulteration of 
articles of food and drugs. We shall give a full account of its 
provisions in our next. 
The latest advices from China announce that the price of 
camphor has risen to 26dol. the picul in Japan, probably on 
account of the increased demand caused by the cholera 
epidemics. 
