^'"mSiqu^""}     Wholesale  Druggists'  Association.  12^ 
The  report  of  the  Committee  on  Legislation,  whose  Chairman  is 
Mr.  Chas.  A.  West,  of  Boston,  shows  that  they  have  done  much 
valuable  work  during  this  period  when  it  seems  to  be  every  politi- 
cian's ambition  to  invent  some  new  provision  whereby  the  drug  trade 
can  be  better  controlled.  The  work  of  this  committee  is  exceedingly 
arduous,  and  it  would  be  practically  impossible  for  the  Chairman  to 
operate  effectively  in  every  state  in  the  Union,  were  it  not  for  the 
fact  that  the  individual  members  in  the  states  themselves  willingly 
furnish  their  co-operation.  One  of  the  bills  mentioned  by  this  com- 
mittee that  is  now  before  congress,  was  introduced  by  Mr.  Moore 
of  Pennsylvania.  It  provides  for  the  labelling  of  packages  contain- 
ing foods,  beverages,  and  drugs,  and  makes  it  necessary  that  they 
should  show  the  weight  or  measure  on  the  label.  That  such  a 
requirement  should  be  made  in  the  case  of  drugs,  whose  value  does 
not  depend  by  any  means  on  their  weight  or  measure,  is  manifestly 
ridiculous,  and  the  bill  has  been  opposed  by  the  committee.  It 
seems  likely  that  in  its  present  form  it  will  not  be  passed,  but  that 
it  will  be  revised  and  be  made  more  comprehensive,  because  as  at 
present  worded  it  only  covers  the  District  of  Columbia.  As  the  bill  is 
at  variance  with  several  state  laws  pertaining  to  weights  and  meas- 
ures, if  passed,  it  will  cause  a  great  deal  of  confusion.  The  Com- 
mittee calls  the  attention  of  the  Association  to  the  fact  that  the 
Pure  Food  and  Drugs  Acts  passed  in  the  various  states  are  very 
similar.  The  attempt  to  carry  out  the  law  by  making  rules  and  regu- 
lations has  proven  rather  disastrous.  The  individual  who  is  given 
the  power  to  make  such  rules  and  regulations  often  largely  exceeds 
his  authority,  or  else  insists  upon  minor  points  of  detail,  which,  be- 
cause they  differ  in  the  different  states,  make  interstate  transactions 
exceedingly  difficult.  A  label  which  will  comply  with  the  National 
Law  often  will  not  comply  with  the  state  regulations,  and  if  it  does 
comply  with  the  regulations  of  that  state,  will  not  comply  with  the 
regulations  of  other  states.  It  must  be  remembered  that  the  law  is  a 
law  to  prevent  adulteration  and  misbranding  only,  and  that  the  final 
word  as  to  whether  goods  are  mislabelled  or  not  is  to  be  decided 
on  those  two  points  only.  The  Committee  requests  that  the  mem- 
bers attempt,  as  far  as  possible,  to  counteract  this  tendency  toward 
the  issuing  of  annoying  regulations,  and,  in  the  opinion  of  the  com- 
mittee, this  matter  requires  some  positive  action  on  the  part  of  the 
united  drug  interests. 
The  Legislative  Committee  reports  much  activity  along  the  line 
