24 
THE PHARMACY BILL. 
The limitation objected to has been repeatedly brought before the general 
meetings which have been called to consider the Bill, the necessity of securing 
a large number of London members has been pointed out, and it is in com¬ 
pliance with the instructions of a public meeting, moved and urged by a 
country member, that the Council framed the clause. The sole reason is that 
which is only glanced at by Mr. Reynolds, that the constant demand made by 
committee meetings upon their time is so great a tax upon the London members 
that unless there be many to divide it, it is felt to be too heavy a burden, and 
the result would be that the real government of the Society would practically 
fall into the hands of two or three of its officers. It is not of course possible, 
or to be desired, that members should come two or three hundred miles to be 
present at committees, to say nothing of the expJhse to the Society, and there 
must therefore be a large proportion of men near at hand to divide the duty, 
or representative government would be worse off than ever. 
It does not follow that the interests of country members would be neglected 
because the large majority of the Council were from London ; the uniform 
support and re-election of the London members by their country constituents 
proves their conviction that whenever important questions have arisen the 
Council has always sought for and carried out the wishes of the trade at large, 
and they will, I am sure, feel that it it is an unworthy return for their labours, 
to do anything which may tend to raise up class rivalries, and to create the 
belief that the interest of one part of the Society clashes with the other. Mr. 
Gladstone may be a very fit representative of South Lancashire, and Mr. Hardy, 
of Oxford, although neither of them are residents; and it is not necessary for a 
man to live in Birmingham or Bristol, in order to do his best for the chemists 
who do so. 
I have no doubt that when the Council meet on July 1st, they will give Mr. 
Reynolds’s letter their careful consideration, and act as they think best for the 
good of the members at large, but their decision may not be known by all, 
until the August number comes out; and as one who has borne his part in the 
labours necessary for bringing about the present hopeful state of things, I can¬ 
not allow this July number to go forth throughout the country without adding 
my protest against a step which has already raised agitation in every direction, 
which may peril the success of the Bill, and which seems to me inexcusable now , 
because, it so important, it ought to have been brought forward and settled 
before the measure was introduced into Parliament. 
I am, Gentlemen, 
Yours faithfully, 
George Edwards. 
Dartforcl , June 26, 1868. 
TO THE EDITORS OF THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL. 
Gentlemen,—Knowing that a difference of opinion exists among country 
members regarding the working of clause 20 of the new Pharmacy Bill, where 
it restricts the number of provincial members on the Council to seven, I beg to 
offer a few words upon the point. 
It is very evident that in a Society with so large a preponderance of country 
members, the country influence can at anytime determine the election or rejec¬ 
tion of any member of Council, when it is known that his views are in accord¬ 
ance with or in antagonism to those of his constituency, and, consequently, that 
it is not essential that country councillors should be elected to represent country 
members, at any rate in any large proportion. 
