The Alaska daily empire., 1916-02-07
JUNEAU DRUGGISTS TELL HOW PRICES
 ARE GOING UP

The condition of the wholesale and retail drug market In the United States is at a critical stage. Many Of tho drugs are commanding the high est known price since the Civil War and others are practically exhausted. Wholesalers and iobbing houses re- fuse to quote prices on some drugs, and others arc unobtainable The facts are obtained from local drug dealers.
 Quinino has advanced from 26 cents per pound to S2.75 per ounce and job bers refuse to quote prices at all Veronal is practically unobtainoble wholesale houses now putting it out in tablet form, with ten tablets to a tube. With their quotations they state that the market is practically exhausted and it will be but a short time until 1t will be unobtainable. The market is in the hands of spec ulators who are holding the small supply for a greatly increased price.
 Glycerine has advanced over 400 per cent. in price and the end is not vet. At Q recent meeting of the American Drug Syndicate held in New York the Secretary In reading his re- port predicted a further advance In price of from 100 to 1000 per cent. on all lines which depend on the Eur opean market either for raw mater lals or the finished product.
 Expensive To Pc Sick
 It is expensive to be sick now as the local druggists all state that on many prescriptions which formerly cost seventy-five cents it is now nee essary to charge SS in order to make profit at all. This is especially true of all prescriptions containing both quinine and glycerine.
 Glycerine, which is produced from animal fats. while extensively pro- duced in the United States was sec retly imported from England and since an embargo has been declared that market is cut off. The Ameri- ,an production Is being taken almost entirely by the large munitions fac tories where 1t enters greatly into the production of powder.
 Carbolic acid has increased In price rom % cents per pound to S250 as 1t was almost entirely imported from Germany and that market is now cut off. While the manufacture of this acid has been started in tho United States within the past year and America is now producing 1S,00O or more pounds day, this supply has been contracted for far in advance by foreign governments.
 Cod Liver on, which was almost entirely produced from the North Ger man Sea fisheries, has advanced to Inc vanishing point and is practical. y unobtainable.
 Local Druggists Talk
 Tn an interview with an Empire rep resentative. 2. J. Loussac, of the Ju- 1eau Drug Company stated that a great deal of credit was due to the wholesalers and jobbing houses of the United States as they have drowned llmost uninanimously on speculation in drugs and drug products They have limited the sales Go jobbers to avoid this feature of the situation and have not advanced the prices except u,bere absolutely necessary. COntin. ling. he s0id:
 "Take Peroxide of Hydrogen for an example. This is made from barium peroxide. a salt which is imported al- most entirely from Germany. The supply of this product has entirely ceased and the demand is SO great that the market is practically ex- hausted. It is manufactured exten- sively in the United States, but many of the largest factories have been forced to close their doors because of the lack of radium salts with which to work"
 Mr. Britt said that many drugs were hard to get, but that SO far the Juneau druggists have been very for tunate. He also stated that many prescriptions had advanced in price through no fault of the retailer "So far 1t has been unnecessary for The Juneau physicians to make sub. ititutlons in any of their prescrip- tions, but no one can say how long the simply of certain chemicals will ast," he said.
 wm. Kirk, of the Butler Mauro Company said that this war is cer- .ainly making 1t hard for the retailer as many drugs had advanced to a point where the retailer was forced to put up many prescriptions at loss. we can't advance the price to any appreciable extent because people ! won't stand for 1t, and we can't ex- plain the reasons to them so they will i be understood" he said.
 Be Worse Before Better
 D. J. Hickey. of Winn's Pharmacy ! 5aid: "The drug market is in bad ! way and it bids fair to be in worse shape before the war is over We can't get quotations on many drugs from the iobbers and wholesalers be- cause the prices are advancing every day. Some drugs have dropped D or 10 cents per pound, but when 1t is considered that they are already 400 per cent. above normal price, the drop does not amount to anything Take bromide and bromide salts for