62 
DEBATES ON PHARMACY BILL. 
person who, at the time of the passing of this Act, shall he of full age, and shall pro¬ 
duce to the registrar on or before the thirty-first day of December, one thousand eight 
hundred and sixty-eight, certificates according to Schedule (E) to this Act, that he had 
been actually engaged and employed in the dispensing and compounding of prescriptions 
as an assistant to a Pharmaceutical Chemist, or to a chemist and druggist, as defined by 
clause 3 of this Act, shall, on passing such a modified examination as the Council of the 
Pharmaceutical Society, with the consent of the Privy Council, may declare to be suffi¬ 
cient evidence of his skill and competency to conduct the business of a chemist and 
druggist, be registered as a chemist and druggist under this Act.” The object of the 
clause is this. There are, at the present moment, a great many assistants engaged in 
chemists’ shops who are advanced in life, and are fully competent to discharge their 
duties, but who, if my right honourable friend’s (Mr. Lowe) proposition be carried, 
will be shut out altogether. That clause is as follows:— 
“ The persons who at the time of the passing of this Act shall have been duly admitted 
Pharmaceutical Chemists, or shall be chemists and druggists within the meaning of the 
Act, shall be entitled to be registered under the Act without paying any fee for such 
registration. Provided, however, as regards any such chemist and druggist, that his 
claim to be registered must be by notice in w r riting, signed by him, and given to the 
registrar, with certificates according to the Schedules C and D to this Act; and provided 
also, that for any such registration of a chemist and druggist, unless it be duly claimed 
by him on or before the thirty-first day of December, one thousand eight hundred and 
sixty-eight, the person registered shall pay the same fee as persons admitted to the 
register after examination under this Act.” 
I believe my right honourable friend considers that these persons, because they do not 
possess shops, have no vested interests to protect and preserve. They have, however, 
their past career to conserve, but if they are at once to be struck out of this measure, 
and have to pass a more severe examination than that I propose, or can be reasonably 
expected from them at the present time, I think it would be a very great hardship upon 
them. I venture, therefore, to suggest, that a compromise might be very satisfactorily 
come to, whereby these persons might pass a modified examination, and not one so strict 
as was originally proposed. At any rate the standard can be fixed jointly by the Phar¬ 
maceutical Society and the Privy Council. I hope, therefore, the Committee will sup¬ 
port the amended clause which I intend to propose. 
Mr. Hardy : We are all agreed that clause 4 in the Bill should be struck out; that 
had therefore better be done, and the discussion on the amended clause taken when the 
time comes for proposing new clauses. 
Clause 4 was then struck out of the Bill. 
On clause 5— 
Mr. Lowe : I object to this clause. 
Lord Elcho : I consent to the omission of this clause, and the insertion of my right 
honourable friend’s clause. I move that it be omitted from the Bill. 
Clause 5 was then struck out. 
On clause 6— 
Lord R. Montagu : I propose to amend this clause by inserting the words “ as 
amended by this Act,” which will make the clause read thus, “ or as the same may be 
varied, from time to time, by any bye-law to be made in accordance with the Pharmacy 
Act as amended by this Act,” with the approbation of one of her Majesty’s principal 
secretaries of state.” 
The amendment was agreed to. 
Clause 6 as amended was ordered to stand part of the Bill. 
On clause 7, application of fees to purposes of the Pharmaceutical Society, 
Lord R Montagu amended the clause by striking out the words “such fees shall be 
payable ” at the commencement of the clause, and reinserting them lower down, where¬ 
by the clause reads, “ Upon every such examination and registration as aforesaid such 
fees shall be payable,” etc. etc. 
The amendment was agreed to. 
The clause as amended was ordered to stand part of the Bill. 
Clause 8 was agreed to. 
Clause 9 was agreed to. 
Clause 10 was agreed to. , 
