The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-01-13
END OF CUT PRICES
DRUGGISTS GOODS AT ESTAB-
LIsHED RATES AFTER JAN. Is.
NEW ORGANIZATION FORMED.
TAKING IN ALL WHOLESALE AND.
RETAIL DRUG DEALERS IN CITY.

Inquiry to be Made Into Business of
City DIspensary - Dealers Think
Many People Secure Medicine
There who HIVE no Right 10 II.
Matter to he Taken Up with DIR.
drummer by Committee Represent
ing the New tiOnaI
Organization Behind the Action in
Regard to Professionalism Los
ing Money Steadily for Hears-Sev-
eraI Have Been Forced Out of Bus
mess.
The wholesale and retail druggists
of Savannah met at the De Soto yes
terday and organized the Savannah
Druggists Association and also took
action placing all goods back at estab
lshed prices on and after Jan. IS,
likewise they have decided to take
some sort of action looking to an in
vestigation of the business done at the
City Dispensary as the druggists are
satisfied that many people are secur-
ing drugs there that are not entitled
to them.
The officers of the new association
are:
President-J. d. Persse.
Vice President-W. T. Knight.
Secretary-Eldred Simkins.
Treasurer-W. A. Pigman.
The new organization not only sue
ceeds the Chatham County Pharma-
ceutical Association, but takes in, as
well, all the druggists of the city, both
wholesale and retail, to the number of
thirty-seven.
Sold Lower Than Cost.
Referring to the action of the meet
ing the officers state that some such
action had become absolutely
necessary. Since the year of
the Spanish-American War, they
say, cutting of prices has
been going on to such an extent that
many of the smaller dealers have been
forced out of business and others have
lost thousands. of dollars and are still
losing money, as many articles are
now sold at a price even lower than
they can be bought for by the dealers.
Matters have reached such a condi-
ton, it was said, that the national or
ganizations, the National Association
of Retail Druggists. the National
Manufacturers Association and the
National Proprietary Association, who
WI n WIFI each Quiet,
have notified Savannah dealers that
they will have to sell at established
prices or these associations will refuse
to sell them goods.
Want Change In Dispensary.
In the matter of the City Dispen-
sary the druggists feel that the privi-
lege of free medicines, intended solely
for the poor who are not able to pay
for such necessities, is being abused TO
great extent, that people amply able
to pay for medicine are securing it
from this source to the detriment of
the business of the regular dealers.
They want this abuse stopped and to
that end will send a committee to DR..
w. F. Drummer. secretary OF the San
itary Commission, and petition that
body through him that the, dispensary
be required to keep a list Of the names,
occupations and addresses of those to
whom free medicine is dispensed and
this list be open to the inspection of
the druggists association at stated
periods.
This matter may be taken up at
once, though it is possible that it may
fairs have been disposed of and the
affairs of the city be running again
in their regular channels. The drug
gists are aware. of course, that there
is a penalty attached to the crime of
securing free medicine through false
pretenses. and they purpose to invoke
the penalty of the offense wherever
they can prove the crime.