THE ADULTERATION OF FOOD AND DRUGS BILL. 667 
The important section in the Bill now introduced, as affecting Chemists and 
Druggists, is the following:— 
“4. Save as hereinafter mentioned, after the passing of this Act , petroleum shall not 
be kept within fifty yards of a dwelling-house or of a building in which goods are 
stored, except in pursuance of a licence given by such local authority as is in this Act 
mentioned. 
“ Any petroleum kept in contravention of this section shall be forfeited, and in addi¬ 
tion thereto the occupier of the place in which such petroleum is kept shall be liable to 
a penalty not exceeding twenty pounds a day for each day during which petroleum is 
kept in contravention of this Act. 
“ This section shall not apply to petroleum kept for private use, nor shall it apply to 
petroleum kept by a dealer for sale by retail, provided the following conditions are com¬ 
plied with:—• 
“ 1. That it is kept in separate glass or earthenware bottles, each of which 
contains not more than half a pint, and is securely corked : 
“2. That the aggregate amount kept by the dealers, supposing the whole 
contents of the bottles to be in bulk, does not exceed three gallons .” 
It will still be necessary that benzole or any other liquid coming within the 
definition of the term “ petroleum ” as used in the Act, and giving off an inflam¬ 
mable vapour at a temperature of less than 100° F., should, when sold for use 
within the United Kingdom, have a label attached to it, as follows :—“ Great 
care must be taken in bringing any light near to the contents of this vessel, as 
they give off an inflammable vapour at a temperature of less than one hundred 
degrees of Fahrenheit’s thermometer.” 
Wholesale dealers must still obtain licences, and the seventh section states 
that, u There may be charged in respect of each licence granted in pursuance of 
this Act such sum, not exceeding two shillings and sixpence, as the local autho¬ 
rity may think fit to charge.” 
In other respects than those we have mentioned, the law will be left by this 
Bill in the same state as it is in at present, but the two Acts previously in force 
will be consolidated into one. 
The Bill stands for second reading on the 10th of June. 
THE ADULTERATION OF FOOD AND DRUGS BILL. 
This Bill, to which we alluded in our last number, has not since made any 
progress, but it stands for second reading on the 10th of June, and will require 
to be watched in its progress through Committee. There is one section in par¬ 
ticular that requires modification, and that is the third, which provides for the 
appointment of analysts. There are no men better qualified for this appoint¬ 
ment than our better class, educated, pharmaceutists; but we observe that the 
Bill, in referring to tbe qualifications of those to be appointed, states that they 
should possess “ competent medical, chemical, and microscopical knowledge.” 
The term ‘ medical’ as used here would probably shut out pharmaceutists who have 
no legal medical qualification from competing for an appointment for which 
they may be well qualified, and better fitted than if they were medical practi¬ 
tioners. It has been the practice for many years past to confine appointments 
of this description to medical practitioners, where others having no special 
medical qualification would be equally eligible, and members of our Society 
should assert their legitimate claims to a fair share of such appointments. 
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