PHARMACISTS AND WAR

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2781, 27 May 1916, Page 7

PHARMACISTS AND WAR

SHOULD THEY BE GIVEN .COMMISSIONS? MINISTER CANNOT AGREE ' som £ ln ® tho president utl y e , of fte.'Mw- Zealand'Thar- , ? -Hoard huvo been, endeavouring to utajn recognition of'- the' services their 1110111 bers are rendering to the New Zealand Jiorcijs as.pharmacists- and- dispensers. flie recognition tho board desir.es "ml se . cu re commissioned rank for those' S?P- n M holding important: and responsible as dispensers in military nospitals, camps, and transports. Mr. I'. ast '°> the;president .of the board, in conversation with. a. Dominion reporter Jesterday,"stated that they were not asking that chemists wlio enlisted be given commissions just'because they wore chemists, but when the authorities,.becomingaware of Vheir civil qualifications, placed tnem m Important positions ' of trust, Buch;as dispensers for big military camps, nospitals,' and troopships,-, they should • grant that man a,'commission. The Minister, Mr. Castle said,'had. replied that 1 j? n °t possible to do so. - Yet it nad beeiv done in Canada. ' In dealing with military' matters as they affected Pharmacists, Mr.' Castle pointed to a, ; Paragraph in the "Australasian Journal „?■ harmacy," 'which read as follow?:— In the Canadian ariny all qualified pharmacists undertaking dispensing- duties now receive commissions (vide copy ,■ or Arniy: Order therewith). In the ~ i rench, Italian, Japanese, and German armies commissions are similarly granted, and it.is felt that until Australian* pharmacists are accorded similar recognition their just' claims'remain unacknowledged.' ; •i. Mr. Castle stated that ever since the War commenced the. services,of volunteer pharmacists have been eagerly seized upon by . the authorities,-showing that taeri- civil-qualifications were, deemed-of considerable value, yet according to the Minister they were to be absolutely prevented from, attaining any higher rank ;tlian that of a sergeant-major.. Mr. Allen quoted the'ltoyal Army Atedical Corp, •when he talked alxiut precedent, but hero it was not the E-.AiM'.C. 1 but the New Army -Medical Corps, and ho maintained that * they eould be granted commissioned rank .without being attached to the N.Z.A.M.C.,' Qistlo said the board contended that as registered .dentists ' had .'•.'been: given commissions, eolelj" on account of their cml qualifications being those required by the military authorities, pharmacists were just as: much entitled to' 'hold at _least the lowest grade of commissioned Tank _ and pay, as they (tab jlieinists) were ,in the sarao category. v The Minister's Ideas. ~o n Jhis question members of the csecul -jive of tho Pharmacy Board of New- Zealand waited on the Minister ot Defeno» .Hon. Jas. Allen) as far back as March !f r reply-to that, deputation was the . followiilg letter "Dear, sir,-On' March- 28' a .deputation .representing; the Pharmacy- Board of Nov Zealand waited-upon me;-and'urged *the' 'ranting of lepmmissioned'. rank to pharmacists who occupy positions as'-.chief m the ; military hospitals, on-.hospital-ships, and on large transports. Ihe matter,lias been very carefully coil, eidered, but T regret that it is not pos-: nb!e to' comply with the board's request, inis question "has bean' Taised again and aeaut.ip the Eoyal Army Medical Corps, and the rul©_ at present, which is strifitly adhered to,..is that.soldiers holding nnv qualifications in .pharmacy must qualify! in nil corps examinations before receiving .promotions to non-commissioned- rank; , Ihey can'Niltimately: attain the rank of M their- ability and merit in all'duties.' ct tne corps..- 1 ■ • The Canadian Precedent. " nfc 6 ® cret ary ; 'of the IJUr. C. \v. ftielsen) wrote as follow*':- V V "c;,v r v ' "J ' ,"May 15, 1916. WffiF" 1 - •• h ?? ; -4 he '- ] K»°ur-' to 'ackuow. ledge .the receipt.ot-yonr memorandum of' •May 1,- referring to the .granting iof .corii. . missioned-■ -rank-., to --pharmacists;: aid' reined, same.to; a, meeting^ I instructed to express legret at the. decision• not Lo grant eommissions under the circumstances stated to the-deputation, inasmuch ■as the pro-cedure-is shown-by a recent Army Order obtaining; m-Canada, and. the board' does not; understand . the inability -to meet its suggestion if'the>will to do.so exists. Sincetho commenceaj'ent of the. war large'numbers of / -pharmacists have enlisted, and have in almost every case been put to dispensing duties, .the result'.being that whilst their civil qualifications were re-' quired as 'being of primary' importance they have had the effect of depriving the volunteer of\the opportunity of complying with a -military ..course.' ,Dentists,, medical men, and chaplains have succeeded in gaining .commissioned rank on enlisting- by virtuo of their'.: civil qualifications; and-this l»oard' does not "understand Qualified chemists,, fulfilling import- ; nnt functions, should not; be allowed, at . least,, tho-lowest commissioned-rank." • - The Minister Adamant. Yesterday the following letter was received , iroui t;ie ■ Minister / of -Defence uaieU May 25:— ... ' reply to . youv letter of, May 15, I muyt point out tliat the' procedure of not granting .commissions to qualified chemists as such strictly follows,-me proceuuro of . the imperial Army, and 1 regret 1 can see ho reason for altering this procedure..,! uiay add that : ait .recruits, ■- whether qualifieu chemists or not, -now' undergo a strict .military medical training at .the Medical Iraining Camp at Paimerston, North. Any rneii ifho may originally have been enlisted without untiwgomg such a training are now put tnrough whenever an opportunity occurs." Respecting the Minister's sentence including the words "all recruits, whether qualified chemists oy not," is* assumed to iVefer to recruits for medical:duties.