CHEMISTS AND LIQUOR

New Zealand Times, Volume XLIV, Issue 10273, 7 May 1919, Page 5

CHEMISTS AND LIQUOR

BUSINESS NOT WAITED

DECLARATION BY PHARMACEUTICAL CONFERENCE.

A matter that is giving Chemists much concern at the present time m> their position with regard to the dis pensing of liquor in the event of national prohibition being earned. the question came before the annual conference of the New Zealand Pharmaceutical Society last •*«"?* JJ h £J the following remit was submitwd by tne Hawke's Jiay JJivwson:•- lho* should prohibition become estabUbUca at any future date, orders tommed*. cal practitioners callxng tor lntoxicatj ing liquors be not supplied oy chemJSt While several delegates strongly expressed the opinion that « ! was useless to discuss the matter be'fore prohibition was actually cairied, I other delegates considered tnat chera- ! ists should make their opinion known to the Government. Delegates generally took the stand that they should abeoilutelv refuse to deal with Uquur m ! any manner whatever. if they accepted the position of dealers in liquor, abuses were sure to arise, and there [would be endless difficulties. Chemise I should, strongly protest against being 'placed in such an invidious position, ; and thus lay themselves open to suspicion.. Some delegates went so tar as to assert that if chemists were saddled with the liquor business, they would possibly become known as something ui the nature of sly-grog dealers—a very ugly term. JJimculDies had 'already arisen in uo-license districts, and if chemists were to be made the shuttlecock between the Government and a set of regulations the trouble would be endless.

It was pointed out that in the recent camapign the . prohibitionists had declared that if prohibition were carried liquor would be sold by the cheoists. That proved, declared a delegate, that chemists required to be on tne alert and let the public know definitely that they would absolutely decline to deal in liquor. The remit was carried without "dissent.