ANNUAL MEETING. 
775 
Society, Limited, not one of whom was a chemist and druggist, not even according to 
the Pharmacy Act; and as to being pharmaceutical chemists, it never entered into their 
imagination. But see how successful they were. They managed to evade the Act by 
employing a Mr. W. J. Jones, a chemist and druggist. No doubt he had passed 
the Modified examination, very modified, and he understood that he was making a 
capital thing of it, that he was employing two first-class dispensing assistants under 
him and a large staff, that they were doing a roaring trade, and that they would do a 
great deal more yet. His friend Mr. Pound would tell them something about this Mr. 
Jones, who was, to all intents and purposes, a legitimate member of this Society. They 
were permitting him to use the name of this Society, to evade the Act of Parliament, 
and to take away the trade from themselves; and that in a way which was very injurious 
and annoying to those gentlemen who wished to carry on their trade with respectability. 
He did not object to anybody going to a co-operative store if they liked, but he would 
tell them a very important fact with regard to these societies, as connected with trade 
generally and with chemists in particular. This society had recently issued a report 
which showed a gross return of £350,000 per annum; whereas any ordinary trader who 
made a return of £5000 per annum was considered to do a good business, and with 20 
per cent, he would be able to make a fair living, pay rates and taxes, and keep his 
family respectably. Dividing this amount by 5000 they got 70; so that that repre¬ 
sented 70 shops shut up, 70 families prevented being brought up, 70 persons made 
assistants, or whatever they pleased, instead of being respectable tradesmen. That was 
the result. As to themselves, what came of all this education ? The Society had 
already driven from a great many respectable chemists the best part of their trade. 
Photographic chemicals and various other matters were sold without let or hindrance, 
and were a considerable source of profit; but many purchasers would not go now to a 
pharmaceutical chemist, because of the trammels of the Pharmacy Act requiring them 
to sign documents and all sorts of things; the consequence was they preferred going to 
the oilshop round the corner, or the drysalters, where they could buy what they wanted 
without difficulty. He had no objection to these things himself, for he carried on the 
legitimate trade of a dispensing chemist, and had done so all his life ; but at the same 
time he had some sympathy for others. He had served his time in the country, and 
had lived in Manchester, Liverpool, and other provincial towns, and could sympathize 
with those who saw very few prescriptions in the course of the year, the majority of 
whose trade consisted of articles at 8s. a dozen, which were put up and sold for 12s. 
retail. What had been the result of all the late proceedings ? The majority of the 
sundry trades which many men got their living by, was driven away to the oilshops and 
the grocers, who sold the same articles at tenpence each instead of sticking out for the 
shilling. The other day he went into another co-operative store in Long Acre; it was 
a very magnificent establishment, and though they did not yet dispense medicines, it 
would not be long before they did. 
The Chairman suggested that this matter did not arise out of the Report, and must 
appeal to the meeting whether it should be gone into or not. 
Several gentlemen having expressed their opinion in favour of hearing Mr. Dickinson, 
Mr. Watts suggested that the Report should be first put and carried. He had him¬ 
self something to say upon the matter of co-operative stores, and thought it had better 
come afterwards. 
Mr. Dickinson said he was quite willing to submit to the opinion of the meeting. 
He had no personal motive in the matter at all, and he had lived long enough, he be¬ 
lieved, amongst the gentlemen whom he saw around him for this to be pretty well 
known. This was the only time of the year when they had an opportunity of meeting 
and ventilating their grievances ; and if they were too weak and quiet in giving way to 
rules and regulations, they would never get them redressed at all. He for one protested 
against it, and he believed he was perfectly in order in the course of his remarks. He 
had no objection to co-operative dealing, but he was very glad to find that one member 
of the trade, Mr. Starkie, had come to his senses and retracted the position, rather an 
unfortunate one, which he had got into, more, he believed, from accident than design. 
He did not say he was wrong in his former position, but that he was doing injustice to 
the trade, and, as such, he ought to be an outcast from the Society; and he contended 
that anybody who patronized or permitted the co-operative store dealings by their 
assistance or trading, ought not to be allowed within the pale of the Society. This was 
