NEW ZEALAND: GENERAL.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXX, Issue 22, 29 May 1902, Page 20

NEW ZEALAND: GENERAL.

The Defence expenditure in this Colony increased by nearly £100.000 last year, having gone up from £244,21."; to £340,059. The amount expended on Old A ge Pensions for the year ending March 31 was £207,4fi5, being £11,000 more than the pieviousyear. This amount is equal to an annual t.x of f>s per head of the population. The May number of the Avstrnl Light is a -ppcially good oiw , Tne Rev. Dr Sheehan, author of 'My N ew Curate,' contribute" a very fine artiol >, entitled ' Mary, the Morning star,' and Mr W. Paikinson gives some very mteresfng hints on the ' Art of SingVt^'ry Z hti Rev- J- E - Kxng writes on tfa e 'Origin of Species,' and Mr II farmer has something to say on the late ' Lmpire builder ' of South Africa. The oratory of the Liberator, DanM O'Gonnell, is doile with by the Rev. John Murphy. Among the other contributors are F. S. O'Donnell, Eleonire de Oastella, Uiia Roe, J. H B Curtis, Rev M. Watson, S J , aid ' Outis.' Men who take part in public affairs very often receive more criticism than thanks for their work. Mr P. Hally, of Dunedin cannot say that his public services are not appreciated. Some time ago he was presented wth a purse of sovereigns by his friends in the Caversbam electorate, and a few days ago he was the recipient of a similar token of appreciation from the Federated Tailoressea Union. Mr Myers, in making the presentation, said that the union felt that no monetary reward could adequately express their gratitude for Mr Rally's untiring zeal, nor for his self-denying exertions on their behalf, but they hoped Mr Hally would regard the accompanying presents as ; at all events, some indication of their feelings. Mrs Hally was al-o presented with a gold chain. The Right Hon. Mr Seddon cables to Sir J. G. Ward as follows :— ' Pas-Bed a pleasant time at Pretoria ; the guest of the Administrator. Had tea with Lord Milner and dinner with Lord Kitchener. Had a long interview with both yesterday. Very satisfaotory. Right men in right place. To-day visited Elandsfontein Hospital, where there are 49 New Zealand patients. There are no serious case-* ; chiefly dysentery, rheumatism, and enteric. Lord Kitchener has snnt Colonel Bird wood with us. General BadenPowell alno accompanies us. The feeling for New Z aland is cordial. The Administrator practically admits our land settlement conditions are best su ted for boutn Africa.' On May 23 Mr Seddon inspected the Ninth Contingent at Verteniging, concerning which he cabled to the Acting Premier as follows: — 'I gave a short address and the latest New Zealand news. All along the line we have been well received. At Bloemfontein an illuminated address was presented by the borough expressing great satisfaction at New Zealand's action in South Africa and Imperial federation. I was also entertainel by a large number of New Zeala-ders, who are doing well. I made a short Btay at De Aar, and was met by the Midland Railway Commissioner. The Director-general of Railways accompanies us right through We have nothing to learn on railway questions. The peace negotiations are satisfactory. The opinion that no further contingents are required is confirmed.' A mattrk of considerable importance to the public was brought before the meeting of the Pharmaceutical As-ociation of Canterbury on Fiiday night. One of the lending cht mists mov< d— ' That tins Association disapprove of giving secret commissions to doctors m any form whatever.' He said that a great evil hdd grown out of the practice of gning these co nmis^ions, one Christchurch firm laying cajami^bbns amounting to .10 per ce-it. on the retail price. The outcome of the practice was that nine out of ten prescriptions' written by some m-di;al men would contain the name of the firm leferred to. Out of every prescription worth 2t t> i the amount of Ls 3d would ffo in commission given by that firm. Another evil was that druggists, who freq lently paid . : >0 p»rcnt. in commission, could not make up the loss by a higher charge, a.s they were in competition with other druggist-, and when the docror bad to receive 50 per cent, it reduced the chemist to such a pos.tton that he could not honestly di-panse prescriptions. There had been Beveral notorious cases wherein the heakh of the patients had been considerably injured by that practice. There were other cases in which the matter h.id been brought under the notice of the doctor, who, though aware that the prescription had not been honestly made up, refused to go to the chemist who dispensed it and complain, as he was in the same box as the chemist. In the discussion that ensued one chemist state 1 that there were doctors in the city who libelled the druggets who did not give them commissions, but took good care they did not come within the libel law. Another speaker said that there were many cases where a certain preparation was ordered of standard brand, and the chemist's own brand was made up owing to the expensive drugs needed for the prescription. Eventually the motion was cirned unanimously.