604       National  Association  of  Retail  Druggists.  {ADecJembe?hi9oim 
Resolution  "  E."    Change  in  Basis  of  Representation,  etc. 
The  committee  recommends  that  Article  III  on  Membership  be 
amended  by  the  substitution  of  the  following  section  for  Section  2  : 
"  Section  2.  Each  State  and  local  association  shall  be  entitled  to 
one  delegate  for  each  fifty  active  members  or  fraction  of  fifty  mem- 
bers. Such  delegates  shall  be  actively  engaged  in  the  retail  drug 
business." 
The  only  effect  of  the  amendment  above  recommended  is  to 
change  the  basis  of  representation  from  one  hundred  members  to 
fifty  members,  which,  under  a  form  of  local  organization  throughout 
the  country,  would  equalize  the  representation  between  the  city  dis- 
tricts more  nearly  than  under  the  present  basis. 
We  recommend  that  the  fourth  by-law  be  amended  to  read  as 
follows : 
"  Fourth.  The  fiscal  year  shall  be  identical  with  the  calendar  year, 
and  the  dues  of  the  affiliated  associations  shall  be  payable  at  the 
beginning  of  the  fiscal  year.  The  collection  of  the  dues  is  placed  in 
the  hands  of  the  Executive  Committee,  and  the  committee  shall 
have  power  to  drop  from  the  membership-roll  any  association  which 
has  not  paid  its  dues  for  any  preceding  fiscal  year." 
Resolution  "  F,"    National  Legislation. 
Resolved,  That  we  commend  the  efforts  of  the  Committee  of 
National  Legislation  in  securing  the  repeal  of  the  stamp  tax  on 
medicinal  preparations,  and  express  appreciation  for  the  assistance 
rendered  by  members  of  the  National  Wholesale  Druggists'  Asso- 
ciation, the  Proprietary  Association  of  America,  and  any  other  per- 
sons in  accomplishing  the  repeal. 
Resolution  "G."    Trademarks  and  Patents. 
Resolved,  That  in  accordance  with  the  suggestion  of  the  Com- 
mittee on  Trademarks  and  Patents  regarding  pharmaceutical  prod- 
ucts, we  reaffirm  our  declaration  that  it  is  an  indispensable  principle 
of  justice  that  the  Government  should  not  grant  a  patent  on  the 
product  itself,  but  should  confine  such  patent  protection  to  the  pro- 
cess of  manufacture.  To  patent  the  products  is  to  create  monopoly 
and  retard  progress  in  the  healing  arts. 
That  the  Committee  on  Trademarks  and  Patents,  in  conjunction 
with  the  Committee  on  National  Legislation,  is  instructed  to  prepare 
and  distribute  to  the  organizations  in  membership,  through  the 
office  of  the  N.A.R.D.,  a  memorial  urging  upon  Congress  favorable 
action  on  this  subject. 
