Am.  Jour.  Pharm.  I 
July,  1898.  J 
Editorial. 
355 
"The  Senate  modified  the  House  proposition  relating  to  the  tax  on  proprie- 
tary medicines,  and  in  modifying  it  introduced  new  elements  which  piaced  the 
whole  subject  within  the  jurisdiction  of  the  conferees.  The  result  has  been 
that  after  a  careful  investigation  the  conferees  have  accepted  the  general  scope 
of  the  proposition  contained  in  the  Senate  amendment  confining  the  tax  to  pro- 
prietary medicines,  and  the  conferees  of  both  Houses  have  concurred  in 
reducing  the  tax  on  proprietary  medicines  and  perfumes,  etc.,  about  one-third. 
Both  the  Senate  and  the  House  conferees  were  satisfied  from  all  the  investigations 
that  have  been  made,  that  although  the  tax  was  precisely  the  same  in  the  House 
Bill  as  in  the  Revenue  Acts  from  1864  to  1872,  yet  that  under  existing  con- 
ditions it  was  too  large,  and  therefore  it  has  been  reduced  about  one-third  all 
along  the  line. 
"  The  Senate  amended  the  proposition  for  taxing  stocks  of  medicinal  prepara- 
tions on  hand,  so  that  they  should  be  stamped  only  as  sold  by  the  retailer,  on 
the  ground  that  there  is  a  large  part  of  the  old  stocks  of  druggists  throughout 
the  country  that  is  unsalable,  and  that  a  stamp  tax  imposed  upon  all  of  that 
stock  would  be  unjust  and  unfair.  The  House  conferees  readily  concurred  in 
that  view  of  the  case  and  accepted  the  Senate  proposition,  which  imposes  a 
stamp  tax  upon  stocks  of  proprietary  medicines  only  as  the  articles  are  sold  by 
the  retailer.  So  that  in  that  case  the  tax  is  only  paid  by  the  retailer  as  he  may 
sell  the  stock  ;  and  if  any  of  it  is  unsalable,  no  tax  is  required  upon  it. 
"  The  Senate  amendment  imposing  a  stamp  tax  on  all  articles  sold  under  a 
trade-mark  or  patent,  or  special  proprietary  name,  was  strenuously  objected  to 
by  the  House  conferees,  and  went  out." 
As  indicating  the  important  features  for  the  apothecary  to  bear  in  mind,  the 
following  succinct  account,  issued  by  Smith,  Kline  &  French  Company,  may 
be  of  value  : 
Schedule  B. 
A.  — Medicinal  Proprietary  Articles  and  Preparations. 
B.  — Cosmetics  and  other  similar  articles. 
Proprietary  Medicines. — Sec.  20.  That  on  and  after  the  first  day  of  July, 
eighteen  hundred  and  ninety-eight,  any  person,  firm,  company  or  corporation 
that  shall  make,  prepare,  and  sell,  or  remove  for  consumption  or  sale,  drugs, 
medicines,  preparations,  compositions,  articles,  or  things,  including  perfumery 
and  cosmetics,  upon  which  a  tax  is  imposed  by  this  Act,  as  provided  for  in 
Schedule  B,  without  affixing  thereto  an  adhesive  stamp  or  label  denoting  the 
tax  before  mentioned,  shall  be  deemed  guilty  of  a  misdemeanor,  and  upon  con- 
viction thereof  shall  pa}-  a  fine  of  not  more  than  five  hundred  dollars,  or  be 
imprisoned  not  more  than  six  months,  or  both,  at  the  discretion  of  the  court ; 
Provided,  That  no  stamp  tax  shall  be  imposed  upon  any  uncompounded  medi- 
cinal drug  or  chemical,  nor  upon  any  medicine  sold  to  or  for  the  use  of  any  per- 
son which  may  be  mixed,  or  compounded  for  said  person  according  to  the 
written  recipe  or  prescription  of  any  practicing  physician  or  surgeon,  or  which 
may  be  put  up  or  compounded  for  said  person  by  a  druggist  or  pharmacist  sell- 
ing at  retail  only.  The  stamp  taxes  provided  for  in  Schedule  B  of  this  Act 
shall  apply  to  all  medicinal  articles,  compounded  by  any  formula,  published  or 
unpublished,  which  are  put  up  in  style  or  manner  similar  to  that  of  patent, 
trade-mark,  or  proprietary  medicine  in  general,  or  which  are  advertised  on  the 
package  or  otherwise  as  remedies  or  specifics  for  any  ailment,  or  as  having  any 
