PHARMACY ACT.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 340, 29 October 1908, Page 4

PHARMACY ACT.

A LYTTELTON CASE. (BY TELKGIt.U'It—I'IIKSS ASSOCIATION.) Ghristrtiurch, October 28. J. T. Brice, and eight others, being the Managing Committeo of the United Friendly Societies' Dispensary, Lyttelton, were prosecuted this morning on tho information of C. W. Neilson, solicitor to the New Zealand Pharmacy Board, 011 a charge of carrying on business without; thc B premises being placed in chargc of a registered chemist. Mr. Harris, who defended, admitted a technical breach of the law and explained tho circumstances.

Mr. Noilson, for tho prosecution, said that tho law required, in .tho interests of tho public safety, that a duly qualified man must bo in charge of a pharmacy. Tho present case had only been brought after repeated correspondence on tho matter. Mr. Neilson road a number of letters which has passed between the Pharmacy Board and tho committee. Tho tyoard had mado it quite plain in their letters that the committee must employ a qualified man in tho shop, and that they wero incurring a penalty for every day on which they did not do so.

Mr. Bishop, S.M., said that tho defendants had not been acting personally, but on behalf of an important institution, the Lyttelton United Friendly Societies. If they had had any personal interest in the business he would have inflicted a very sevcro penalty. Under tho Act they were liable to a fino of £2 per day for every-day on which they had committed a breach of the Act in employing an unqualified and unregistered man. In veiw of tho fact, that tlioy had employed such a man a { sccond time after being acquainted of their position by the Pharmacy Board, there was no excuse for them. Tho law was a good one, designed to protect tho public. Ho would record a conviction against each of tho defendants and would inflict a penalty on Mr. Brice, as chairman of tho committee, for one day of forty shillings 011 each information, with one set of full costs, £2 25., on each information. Mr. Brice was thus getting off very lightly.