The age-herald., 1898-05-24
THE WAR OF
 THE DRUG STORES Tae Druggists Ire Fighting Among
 Themselves. SOME ATTACK AGE-fiERALD They Say UnnjuStly That the War
 Has Started By It. MANY CLAIM THEY ARE L SING Drugs Are Being Sold At Very Low Prices, And There is Much Complaint
 Among Some That This
 is Unnecessary.
MANY CLAIM THEY ARE L SING

war dIHOiB lnC uTuRBlSIS Ol blTnlnB- ham continues.
 The Sloss Pharmacy started a cut rate business several weeks ago. Other drug gists followed and several of them now claim to be the original cutters of prices. All are doing hurrah business, but many claim they are making nothing. Some of the druggists are so unjust as to declare The Age-Herald started the cut rate busi- ness. While The Age-Herald had nothing more to do with it than Admiral Dewey The Age-Herald always proposes to be the first to give the news, whether it be from the seat of the naval war or from the min iature drug war in Birmingham.
 Age-Herald reporters called upon all the druggists yesterday. Their expressions are printed as given. Some seem to have been led astray in their opinions of The Age Herald for printing the news, but the people demand the news and they must have it..
 We are doing a great business," said MT. Lundie Sloss. "Prospering and thrlv- ing. War is to my taste. The people like it too. Never have sold so many goods Hope soon to build twelve story building. Everybody is coming to us.''
 Y.P. Newman
 Any statement to the effect that the
 
 druggists of Birmingham said Dr. Y. P. Newman of the Newman Drug company, "have or have had drug trust is absolute ly false. The retail price of all patent medi- cines, which are the articles most con cerned in this drug war, are fixed by the manufacturer and not by the druggist The difference between these retail prices and the wholesale prices vary from about 20 to 35 per cent. This we consider only legitimate profit, considering the small amount of goods we sell compared with other businesses, and there is certainly no trust about that"
 Geo. H. Baine
 .eThis drug war will break half of the druggists in Birmingham within the next six months, and The Age-Herald along with them," said George H. Baine of the Collier Drug company yesterday, land it will break the other half of the druggists within the next six months. Druggists can't afford to sell their goods at less than cost any more than a man in another business can. Neither will the druggists or the big patent medicine advertisers patronize paper that will intentionally ruin their business The Age-Herald has done by encouraging the rate war. Our sales are increased some- what, but it doesn't help us any, for there is no money in 1t. The drug war is a bad thing for everybody concerned"
 W.P. Gum
 "The drug war is very demorallzing in it's effects" said William R. Gum of the Ellis Drug company. All the better class of rny customers are opposed to it, as well the druggists themselves. l have even had them to offer to pay the full prices for medicines, saying that they knew that there was no money it for me or any other drug gist at those prices. The war will result in some of the druggists being forced cut of the business, of course. The sales are not materially increased, the profits are decid- edly decreased, and our expenses go on just the same."
 Jas. F. Lynch
 'The drug war is very bad in it's ef- fects," said James P. Lynch of Worth ngton & Lynch. don't see that there is any in- crease of sales, while there is absolutely no profit in the way we are doing business at the present It's all sales and no profit.
 Wm. l.. Klein
 "No, it has not injured our business ma- terially," said Wm. l.. Klein, though our profits have, of course, dropped off sonle- what. The sale of patent medicines mas though not materially. I am not prepared to say whether cut rates are good things or not. No, have no kick against The Age-Herald or anybody else in this war;"
 Arlie Barber
 .The drug war is ruining business" said Arlie Barber, of Barber & Cosby. You don't think we can sell goods for cost and prosper at the same time, do you? There are about 300 prescriptions a day filled in Birmingham Supposing each druggist to get ten of these and that he clears 40 cents on each prescription, which, by the way Is an abnormal supposition, then he only clears $4 day, which will pay the expenses Ar.,n rf-f in pif You can take the list of wholesale prices and you will find that the retail druggist makes only a legitimate profit on the pat ent medicines he sells. l regard The Age Herald as the instigator of all this trouble, and not the Sloss Pharmacy. The Age- Herald has all along encouraged this war and has done all it could to keep 1t alive. When hostilities were patched up at one time, The Age-Herald opened old wounds and started it up again. MT. Barrett, the editor of the paper, has done all ne could since he has been in this city against the interests of the people, and I re- gard him as an enemy to the community. | think he should be driven out of the Club as he is doing all he can against Birmingham, though at the same time he is supposed to be working for the upbuilding of the city and its people. Not only the drug stores, but the gas company, the water works company, the police force, the street railroad lines, the city officials and ill fact everything in Birmingham has been attacked by MT. Barretts paper. l never read the sheet myself, for while am not a man who bears a grudge against anyone, cannot be expected to patronize a man who is fighting me for all he is worth"
 W. H. Johnson
 'The drug war is rough on the man with a small capital" said W. H. Johnson, of Johnson 6 Co. '"rhoss who have the money to stand it. can probably pull