Evening star., 1898-04-23
CONTENTION OF DRUGGISTS
Their Reasons for 0bjecting to New Contract
With Telephone Company.
Association to Hold n Meeting to Con-
slider Plan of ActiOn-President
Hryan's Statement.

1t is the intention of the Druggists Asso-
citation to hold a meeting Monday morning
at $3.50 O'Clock in the College of Pharmacy
building. in order to arrange the plan of
campaign. as 1t were, on which the Chesa-
peake and Potomac Telephone Company
will be fought. Steps will be taken at this
meeting, it was stated, to have the tele-
phones removed from the drug stores In
which they are now located and to the
proprietors of which the new contracts
have been sent. Furthermore. the drug
gists state they are firm in their determina-
tion to have all telephone wires removed
from the buildings over which they have
control. This, it is thought, will be carry
ing war into the enemy's camp in deadly
earnest. and it is considered will do more to
bring the telephone company to terms than
any other means which could be adopted
The druggists who have been using the
telephones under the pay system, with but
two exceptions. it was stated to The Star
reporter. will refuse to sign the new con-
tract. One of these does so, it is claimed
because he considers himself a rival in
business of prominent druggist who has
stock in the telephone company.
Mr.. Bryan. president of the company,
said yesterday that the number of signers
was seventeen. but the druggists declare
they are certain this number is not cor
rect, and they would know of it if such
Were the case
The druggists do not hesitate to put a
construction on the matter of the company
sending out the contracts at the present
time. They assert that the real reason is
the company hopes to get contracts signed
before the bill providing for the low tele-
phone rate becomes law. hoping thereby
to be able to hold the signers, even after
that comes to pass.
Those who will have the telephones re-
moved from their stores will number about
seventy. which. it is shown, will be Sc
ricus loss to the revenues of the company.
The physicians stand ready to cooperate
with the druggists in their fight on the
company. One of the most prominent
among them has stated that they will al
low no prescriptions to be taken and filed
may sign the new contracts.
President Brynn's Statement,
President Bryan was seen by Star re-
porter at his office yesterday He made the
following statement:
The pay stations of the company in
drug stores have been in operation some
thing more than twelve months and it has
been found that the total amount received
from each of most of these stations has
been less than the actual cost of maintain
ing them. while in very large number of
cases the income from local business has
been about half the cost of maintaining the
stations.
80 iaSu vi lle druggists
nave been allowed to make free calls to
other druggists and to physicians The re-
suit OF this method develops the fact that
IN very large number of cases the num-
Der or Tree calls is three or four times as
great as the number of paid calls. and. in
deed, in some cases more than twelve times
as great.
In view OF the above stated fart tba
company has decided to request It's drug
g:st patrons 10 accept som. one of the mn
merous other forms of contract which it is
prepared to offer"
NJ Bryan would not show the reporter
the form of contract which will be entered
INTO under the new method. He was au-
thority lor the statement that it provides
Tor commission of % per cent on all sums
taken In by the druggists instead Of free
calls as he saw fit to call them. which he
deciaIed had been in vogue the last yaar
rms ne said, would be paid for attending
TO the stations and providing a place for
them. ava
Claims Seventeen SIGNATURES.
Mr.. Bryan said that out of about a him.
dred druggists who had held contracts be-
fore about seventeen had signed the new
ones He laughed at thu idea that the drug
Sists would have the telephones taken out
bnt while the conversatio was going on
tnere was call over the wire for Mr.
Bryan The talk which followed was b.-
tween MIN and a prominent druggist. in
fat.