New-York tribune., 1908-08-24
DRUGGISTS UP In ARMS
FIGHT PHARMACY BO4RD-
Ask Help Of Controller Mef@ ana
Governor Hughes.

fha Board
,aken the form of active opposition. and resuI'ed
,n determined effort to Iegisiate the board ouI
10 existence The retail druggists or those OF
,ber, who are leading the movement against the
hoard sent a petition last night 10 Cohu"iiei
Metz who is also a member OF the Char'er nc
vision Commission asking for certain reVlsiohS
or those sections of the charter of the city whch
refer TO the election, duties and powers OF the
Board Of Pharmacy
They also sent yesterday a letter to Governor
Hughes asking him to make careful 1nVest-
,ation of their requests and, If convinced of the
correctness of their position. to aid them TO get
the desired amendments to the city charter' OF
else recommend such legislation as will accom-
plsh the results they desire.
The signers of both the petition 70 Controller
Metz and the letter to Governor Hughes fear
that If their names known they will incur
,he III Will OF the Board Of Pharmacy and for
This reason they have requested both not TO
make public their names.
THREE BOARDS IN STATE.
The pharmacists of the state are governed by
three boards known the middle. western and
eastern The last named is also called the
Board OF Pharmacy The eastern board has
control over druggists in the greater city and
Westchester County
Under the city charter this board consists Of
five members and is elected by the votes Of the
members of the College of Pharmacy of the
city Of New York. the Kings County Pharma-
ceutical Society and the German Apothecaries
Society. The last named organization has the
right to elect one member of the board and the
others two each The members Of the poard
are elected for a of three years
In brief the principal duties prescribed Tor
the board are the examination Of druggists Tor
registration, the inspection Of drugs In various
drug stores from time to time, the imposition
of fines for druggists violating any OF the laws
pertaining to their trade, and the collection OF
the fee of s. which is annually charged to every
registered druggist. In general, the board Is
supposed TO keep a general supervision over the
druggists Of this city and Of Westchester Coun-
~ and their stores and goods The board has
,be right to employ its own chemist and counsel.
The retail druggists say they find much to oo-
ject to in the present system of supervision
AS many of them are not members OF 'he
Kings County Pharmaceutical Association 'he
College of Pharmacy of the City OF New 10TH
or the German Apothecaries Society, they nave
no right TO vote for members of the board. In
other words they are disfranchised- They IN
sist that each registered pharmacist should
1,a-a the right to vote for the members OF the
hoard as long as the board is to be elected by
vote of the druggists: but they urge that the
hoard should be a state board. It's me1noeIS l"
he appointed either by the Governor OF inc
Mayor CT elected by popular vote. THIS Is one
main grievance
OBJECTION TO INSPECTION.
They also object strenuously to the present
,a,,, of drug inspection. The board has IN
IFS employ inspectors who at indefinite times
visit various drug stores On these visits lheS
purchase small quantities of certain drugs
1-ron receiving them they divide the drugs into
+,,o eauaI portions put each portion INTO d DOL
sic and seal the bottle with the seal Oh 'ie
4o.,d one of these portions is given to the
druggist from rghom il is purchased; the oIher
is sent to the chemist employed py Inc po3iu
for analvsis. If. after analyzing it, the board
chemist finds it not up to the required standaIu
no rerorts to the board. which in turn IN
forms the druggist and fines him SD for each
violation.
A If often happens. the druggist SENDS MS
sealed portion his chemist and mas MN aii"
I'VE il 1t has occurred, druggists say more
iran once that the latter has reported the drug
M 70 the standard when ,the boards chemlst
has reported it below standard. The druggist
.+,,-.Il,- sticks by the report Of his chemist
The -es,,,r * that the druggist refuses To pay
The fine and the board employs counsel to
prosecute him. BY the time the case is finished
the druggist finds that he has had TO pay out
more money than the fine amounts to, regardless
Of the fact whether OF not the case is decided in
his favor
The tendency of this" said one Of the pro-
testing druggists last night TO a Tribune re-
porter 'ls TO make pay the fine whether It is
in our opinion a just not. Then, too, we
cannot afford 10 incur the displeasure Of the
board It proves expensive in the end"
The protesting druggists also assert that the
counsel employed by the board to prosecute
them are hired percentage basis. They
hold that this is wrong. Druggists also say, in
regard 10 the inspection Of drugs, that climatic
conditions cause variations in the standard of
some drugs making it almost impossible 20 keep
all Of them UP 10 a certain standard
Il is the opinion OF many of the retail drug-
gists that drug inspections should be made by
2 state chemist or a board Of chemists employed
b. the state, and that all prosecutions Of drug
gists should be carried by the District At
torrey7s Office. The present laws provide that
after all the expenses OF the board are paid the
surplus. If there be any. shall go, three-flfths
20 the College of Pharmacy and two-f1fths TO
the Brooklyn College Of Pharmacy The in
surgent druggists object TO this. and ask for
such charter amendments or legislation viii
make the surplus go TO the state or city
treasury.
The board charges annual registration fee
Of g.. There is objection to this The druggists
ask that they be charged one fixed fee when
they are permitted to register. Just the state
IA vs provide an the case OF doctors.
The petition goes 20 say that at least one
member Of the present Board of Pharmacy is
connected with large wholesale drug firm.
That this should be the has caused much
unfavorable criticism among the insurgent
druggists who state as their belief that the
members of the board should be paid a fixed
salary by the city or state and be prohibited