Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1920-01-28
MANGETS RULING
DOUBLES PROFIT.
SAY DRUGGISTS
He's The Best Friend
We've Ever Had,' is
Comment Here

''The best friend the druggists Of
Americas ever had"
That is what the drug store men of
this city think of John A. Manget, of
Atlanta, fair price commissioner for
Georgia, whose order acecting drug
store prices and practices over Geor-
gia, in force February l, was pub
lished in yesterdays Times-Recorder.
"We are delighted; he is the best
friend the druggist ever had" was the
way DIR. Emmett Murray, of Murray's
pharmacy, expressed himself when
asked what he thought of the ruling.
''The new schedule viii mean double
the profits we are making. Under his
schedule, items that we now sell and
deliver for a quarter we are permitted
to sell at so cents, computing the price
on his basis of allowing 100 per cent
profit on the drugs and container, 30
cents for compounding, and Is cents
for delivery.
However, you may say that Muir
rays pharmacy, which has been doing
business on legitimate margin of
profit, is not going to take advantage
of the ruling to raise its prices and
gouge the public, but will continue its
old schedule of rates. / really feel
that he has stolen my idea in his
method of arriving at fair prices, for
it has been in use by me for a great
while, except that feature relating to
pay for time for compounding pre-
scriptions and rate for delivery, for
which we do not now charge
Owe Him a Present
"Fine stuff; we can now get rich; it
doubles our profits, and the commits
sioner says. it is fair" was the laugh
ing comment of DR.. E. L. Carswell, of
the Carswell Drug company. "Pm not
worried; in fact, thing we druggists
here ought to get together and send
Mr.. Manget handsome present; he
has been so good to us. The fact is,
his rate schedule allows US to raise
the price Of nearly all prescriptions
over the price we are now getting, so
can't see that it will benefit the pub
lie any. However, we will stick to the
old prices"
Like the rest of these govern
ment price fixing campaigns, this one
merely makes prices higher" said
DR.. Nathan Murray, druggist 'For
instance, under Mr.. Manget's ruling
we may take one calomel tablet, one
powder and a box, all of which costs
about 2 12 cents, and double the
price, making five cents, and add to
this 80 cents for compounding, and
Is cents for delivery, making a to-
tai of so cents. This same order we
now sell at 10 cents delivered every
day
Another Example.
Here is another example: Water
bury's compound, which comes in
labelled bottle, is a preparation
commonly called for in prescriptions
Instead of pasting the doctors label
with instructions, over the label al
ready on the bottle, we usually soal
the old label off and place new
one on. This bottle costs us 67 cents
and we sell it for 81. Under Mr.
Manget's ruling we may double the
price of 81 cents, getting for it $1.34
and adding Is cents delivery charge
making $1.49, or an increase of 4e
cents to the public.
"On the other hand, there is one
respect in which the ruling works &
hardship on the druggist. Take, fol
instance, an order for the compound
ing and preparation of 100 cap
sules. Orders of this size are moi
frequent, but they come now and
then. It will take a drug clerk ar
hour or more to compound 100 cap
sules-in fact few men can do it in
that length of time. For this work
we are allowed to charge 80 cents
A drug clerk works an average Of
IL hours per day seven days in the
week. and at that rate of pay HI
would bring $3.50 per day to his EN-
ployer, who pays him on an average
of IS per day.
81 must say that my conscience
won't allow me to charge so cent.
for a dose of calomel, but if I an
compelled to put up 100 capsules foi
30 cents I am forced to make charge,
elsewhere to even up for the loss
However, I anticipate no trouble
here, and, so far as I can see, thu
old scale of prices, which are fair
will prevail