THE .PETROLEUM ACT. 
563 
mists and Druggists, as Members of the Pharmaceutical Society, under clauses 
2 aud 4 of section 1 of the Bye-laws, is thus removed, and the Council, at their 
last meeting, at once proceeded to exercise the power now given them, by 
electing 124 Members from the class of Registered Chemists. There are now 
about eighty applications for election waiting to be submitted to the Council. 
PHARMACY ACT AMENDMENT BILL. 
The Bill to amend the “ Pharmacy Act, 1868,” brought in by Lord Robert 
Montagu, has not yet proceeded beyond a first reading. It has been on the 
paper of the House of Commons for second reading on several nights, but is 
still deferred, and now stands for the 5th of April. 
The object of this Bill is simply to reserve the rights of medical practitioners 
and veterinary surgeons in Scotland ; the former have no qualification from 
Apothecaries’ Hall, and the latter are not members of the Royal College of 
Veterinary Surgeons of Great Britain. 
The opinion of legal authorities both in England and Scotland affirm that 
legally-qualified medical practitioners are not affected by the “ Pharmacy Act, 
1868it was not intended by the promoters of the Act that they should be, 
therefore there can be no objection, beyond the question of surplusage, to the 
passing of the amendment. If necessary, however, for Scotland, it is also re¬ 
quired for England, and should be worded accordingly. 
The introduction of this Bill gives the Pharmaceutical Society the opportu¬ 
nity of moving for the erasure of the word “ immediately ” in the certificates 
to be produced by Assistants, entitled under section 4, to be registered as Che¬ 
mists and Druggists. 
THE PETROLEUM ACT. 
In our last number we alluded to the application made at the Home Office by 
representatives of the Pharmaceutical Society, together with Mr. Thomas, the 
proprietor of Benzine Collas, and Mr. Sanger, of Oxford Street, on this sub¬ 
ject. We have much satisfaction in being now enabled to state that the repre¬ 
sentations, which have been made to the Home Secretary, showing the hard¬ 
ships that would be inflicted by the operation of the Petroleum Act, if strictly 
carried into effect, have resulted in a promise that the objectionable provisions 
of the Act shall be speedily amended by a short Bill, to be introduced for that 
purpose. A letter from Mr. Liddell, the Under-Secretary of State, addressed 
to Mr. Thomas, will be found at p. 590. 
We understand the Bill referred to by Mr. Liddell will enable Chemists to 
keep benzine and other products of coal or petroleum in small quantities in 
their shops, either for use in dispensing or put up for sale as scouring-drops, 
and in larger quantities in their store-rooms, without taking out a licence. 
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