PATENT MEDICINES

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVI, Issue 45, 22 February 1905, Page 10

PATENT MEDICINES

MAXTTACTrRERS' PROTEST l AGAINST NEW REGULATIONS. DEPUTATION TO THE AGENT ! GENERAL. ■ ! ' f From Our Special Correspondent.) i ~~"~"~ ~" J LONDON. Jan. 13. This morning an important deputation, representing nearly 200 proprietary , medicines in this country, waited upon the Agent d'eneral of New Zealand to I enter a protest against the regulations ! under the 'Public Health Act which ap pearcd in the New Zealand Government Gaaette of Novcmbrr 10th. These re- : gulations. it will He remembured. rei quire that all patent medicine-; imported J into or sold in the colony shall be rej quired to have the contents v ith their I exact proportions, legibly set out in English upon the lain , ! affixed to the contain er. The deputation which waited upon Mr Reeves was really a dual one. seven members being , sent by the Proprietary Articles Trade Association and live by the Manufacturers' Association. The first-named organisation consists of over 150 manufacturers of proprietary medicines, and in addition all the leading wholesale patent medicine houses and about four thousand retail distributors of these articles member?. The j Trade Association was represented in the deputation by Mr Percy (J, Edgar i President i. Mr W. S. Glyn-Jones (secretaryi. Mr Cha>. Sharland (Shar- , land and Co.). Mr George I!. Barclay (Barclay ;mri Son.-.. Ltd.). Mr Horac" Davenport (J. T. Davenport aud Co. i. Mr ••!. VYyldc i Tims. Keating), and Mr K. W. Griimvade iGrirawadV. Ridley and to). Lhe gentlemen representing the Mamifaciun is' Association were: Mr .lohn Morgan Iliehard.-* (President). Col. Cole I A. J. White Ltd. i. Mr Platt (Lincoln Drue: Co. I. Mr Wilke.-, (O\vbridgen Ltd.'. and Mr C. Urquhart Fisher i secretary i. Mr Giyn-Jones, addressing the AgentGeneral, said that the deputation representing hi.s Association had expressed their views in the r-ommunioatiou which he (Mr Reeve?) had already received from them, ln.it they had felt the matter was of such importance as to justify them in asking him to be pood enousrh t i rrc.-ive their deputation. Mr Glyn-,Ton-s proceeded t-o emphasise the main p'ivts in thr letter, a copy of which is given bflow. Mr Urquhart Fisher then introduced the members of his deputation and r>'ad a statement amplifying; the objection to the new regulations which he had em bodied in a letter which he had already sent to the Agent-Generai. A discussion followed, in which Mr Grimwade, Mr Wyl-de, Mr Devonport, took part.

The Agent-General in reply stated that he felt sure it was not the intention of the Government of New Zealand to cause any unnecessary interference in any important business of the colony. He was. he said, impressed with the representative character of the deputation, and would convey that fact to his Government. Whilst he could in no way hold out any promise, he was sure that due consideration would be given to the views which had been laid before him. Mr J. Morgan Richards, on behalf of both deputations, expressed thanks to the Agent-General for his reception of them, and for the attention he had given to the subject. THE ASSOCIATION"? LETTER. 1 am enabled to give in full the letter, referred to above, in which the Proprietary Articles Trade Association laid before the Agent-General their objections to the new regulations. After referring to the representative character of the Association, the letter proceeds to state:— "We respectfully desire, to transmit through you to His. Excellency the Governor our views relating to the regulations referred to. The effect of the regulations leaves open to the proprietors but two courses (1) to disclose to the whole world the contents with the exact proportions of their medicines, or (2) to cease doing business in New Zealand. "The erood-will of the business in many of these articles constitutes a very valuable property, and compliance with the new regulations would mean the confiscation of that property. As a matter of fact, a number of the proprietors affected have 'already notified their representatives in New Zealand that in consequence of the regulations they must cease doing business with anyone in New Zealand after June next. Numbers of these articles have been made and sold for generations, and have been used by the public in this country and in the colonies with great benefit. '"With respect we suggest that His Excellency the Governor can hardly have realised that the. effert of the regulations will be to make it impossible for anyone in the colony to obtain a medicine, the compositaon of which is a trade secret, however harmless and useful it may be. and although they have been accustomed to use it all thrir live*. We f'-el that nothing but serious danger or inconvenience to the public would justify the enactment of such sweeping regulations, and if such regulations had

We feel that nothing but serious danger or inconvenience to the public would justify the enactment of such sweeping regulations, and if such regulations had appeared as a clause in the Public Health Act. and had hern discussed by the N.Z. Legislature, we feel sure that it would have been impossible to have satisfied Parliament that -urh danger or inconvenience exists in consequence of the present st;ite of things. We are of opinion that if n full discussion had taken place, the inconvenience to the public the interference with a perfectly legitimate and useful trade, aud the confiscation

of vested interests properly acquired at great expense, would have far outweighed the wishes of any srnnll class of the community who desire 1o prohibit the public taking tiny thing in the slupe uf medicine not specifically prescribed.

'"His Kxccllency's attention is also very rpspfctfully railed to the opinion entertained lw the meruhers of this" association, to the effect that the power conh>rod upon him by th" Public Health Ait applies to patent medicines, and does not extend to proprietary medicines. This opinion is based upon the decisions •rivm in the High Court of this country in the oases of the Pharmaceutical Society of Grcut. Britain v. Piper (189"3j. UTi'.t the same aocietv v. Arm son (IS94>,

"Tbei members are not aware of any article mentioned in the list in the Gazett<-. which is the subject of a patent.

"We venture to ask that His Excellency will jrive ,luo weight, to these reprosen'.aions, and that he will withdraw the. regulations. leaving unimpaired the present satisfactory business relations which exist between so many firms in thi-. country and the colony of New Ze.t--lfind.—l am. sir. your obedieut servant, W. S. Glyn-Jones." PATENT NfEDICTNES — A SUGGESTION. LONDON", January 21. Last weeK I sent a report of an interview between 1 he Agent-General for New Zealand and a deputation representing 95 per cent, of trie patent medicines affected by the new regulations whk-b. come in form in the colony next Julf. I am enabled this mail to supplement the report with a copy of the memorandum which the Agent-General is sending to the Government in reference to the deputation. He reports as follows:

"I have the honour, for the information of the Hon. Minister of Public Health, to inform you that a very representative deputation of business men interested in the export of patent medicines- to New Zealand waited upon mc at this office ort Friday last. The deputation represented both the association of the proprietor* of patent melieines and the Manufacturers' Association. They informed mc that their associations: were empowered to speak for the owners of 9.'> per cent, of the medicines named in the 'Gazette' notice of last November.

""The speakers appeared to bo seriously alarmed at the outlook in New Zealand. I pointed out that there was no immediate cause for alarm, and in(»a:ed that the Hon. Minister for Public Health Mould probably see his way to ;) reasonable compromise. They on their part seemed quite prepared to me.c the (lovernment. an 4 the impression left on mr was that they wouldnot object to give am- information to the Customs Department or the Department of Health if required to do ?o by thp Government. Whnt they objfcted to was t'i make the composition of their medicines public to the world. '•It appears thai regulations somewhat of this character are in force in Germany, and if that be so. that, would lip :i prr-'Vihmt for agreeing to something of liip kind in New Zealand. One of the deputation, representing Kca.iing and l ■>.. sugge-ned it. mizht h a jiossible for the Government to prep ire a register of patert melicines not of a noxious cliaracter, and to admit these medicines into the i-iilony, retaining tli° right to refuse to pkee on the register the nnnie of any medicine until satisfied of its harmless character.''

Two Germans have discovered a meth- I nd by which t.hfy ran h?a:- plants stow. ; In t;ip apparatus th-' growi-" plan: i> ! connected vrit.Vi a disc, having in irs eentr* an indionmy whiV.ii mores vj«ibly ana regularly, and this on a scale fifty times mnj»nii]?c] dfnotef; the nro?;oss in growth. Both d:s- a;id indica- ' tor arc metal, and when brought hi ; contact v.-ith an electric hammer, 'he | electric current being interrupted at each of the divided interstices of the disc,_ the growth of the plant is as perceptible to the ear as to the eye.