594 
PHAilMACEUTICAL LEGISLATION. 
gested that the Pharmacy Act should not be interfered with without consent, and I am 
informed that there is no intention upon the part of the United Society to interfere in 
any way with the privileges of the Pharmaceutical Society. On the contrary, what is 
desired is that every Chemist and Druggist shall be left to please ’himself, and if he 
wishes to raise himself high up in his profession, that he shall go through an examination 
with a view of taking a higher degree, and if he does do that he may place upon bis door 
the fact that he had passed an examination under the regulations of the Pharmaceutical 
Society. The letter to which I have referred asked whether, having regard to the interests 
of both Societies, a conference might not be had with a vie^v of discussing all proposi¬ 
tions, and I will read the answer which was sent by the Pharmaceutical Society. It was 
to the effect that the letter of the Secretary of the United Society had been laid before 
the Council of the Pharmaceutical Society, and that they had instructed their Secretary 
to inform the United Society that their Bill would be brought before Parliament, and it 
was hoped that it would meet with the general approbation of the Chemists and Druggists. 
Now, the House will see that the reply does not recognize the suggestions made b} r the 
Secretary of the United Society, whose letter I have referred to, and they will also see 
that it is important to all persons in the trade throughout the country that these questions 
shall be considered. In a subsequent letter the Secretary of the Pharmaceutical Society 
informed the United Society, in answer to certain inquiries, that a meeting which had 
been announced was for the members of the Pharmaceutical Society only, and that no 
other persons could be admitted. Thus the House will plainly see that those whom 
I have the honour to represent—the United Society—did make advances to the Phar¬ 
maceutical Society, and that they were simply snubbed, and there was an end to the 
communications. Under these circumstances, the House cannot blame the United 
Society for having, in the interests of the trade generally, endeavoured to bring this 
subject jointly before the House. There has been great difficulty created by the fact 
of these Bills having the same title, but although there is the same title there is 
no further analogy; for, as I have already stated, the Bill of my honourable and 
learned friend amounts to this, that the Society, which he represents, desires to force 
all the members of the other Society, and the whole of the Chemists and Druggists 
throughout the country, into their control, in order that they may pay certain fees; and 
that being done, nothing more will be heard of the Society. Now the Bill of the United 
Society, on the contrary, looks to the general interests of the public, and the House will 
see that there is much more to be done, and that more is required, than is to be found in 
the Bill of my honourable and learned friend. A Bill, which the Pharmaceutical Society 
had not made wide enough to meet with the support of the general body of Chemists and 
Druggists, and the best proof that the Pharmaceutical Society did not command the 
respect and support of the Chemists and Druggists, is to be found in the fact, that 
whereas, there were once 4000 members of that Society, there are now only about 2300, 
while the United Society was composed of a much larger number of members than the 
Society represented by my honourable and learned friend. I have listened to the obser¬ 
vations of my honourable and learned friend in reference to referring these two Bills to 
a select committee, and, I think, the House will say, that it is not right or expedient that 
they shall sit here and listen to a squabble between the members of these two Societies, 
—a chartered Society, and the other having a Bill before the House,—simply for the 
purpose of protecting the trade of Chemists and Druggists; I think quite sufficient has 
been shown to the House, to convince them that the trade generally are not at all satis¬ 
fied with the proceedings of the Pharmaceutical Society. But it is not for me, or for 
those whose interests I have undertaken to advocate here, to desire in the least to inter¬ 
fere with the privileges and wealth of the chartered Pharmaceutical Society; I will say 
that it is desired by the United Society that the other Society shall go on as they have 
done. But I also say, that the Bill of my honourable and learned friend does not meet 
with the views or provide for the interests of the trade at large, and one important sub¬ 
ject is that respecting the danger to the public, of allowing the sale of poisons by persons 
■who are ignorant and incompetent for that duty. (Hear, hear.) I will not at present 
go into the details of my own Bill, but will simply state that it is a Bill which does not 
interfere in any way with those who desire to carry on the trade of a Chemist and Drug¬ 
gist, but it proposes that all Chemists and Druggists, whether Pharmaceutical or others, 
shall be registered under the provisions in the Bill. This was a proposal made by the 
Medical Council at the time when their Act was passed in 1858. I firmly believe that if 
