E. SMITH.]
H, 44A.
20. If the proprietary articles were eliminated from your business how would that affect your business ?—Prices would have to be materially increased. 21. Does dispensing represent a large proportion of your business ?—That varies in different places. In some places the dispensing might represent the major portion of the business, but not in my case. 22. Is the turnover in dispensing large ?—lt is a varying one. If there is a lot of sickness or an epidemic, then the turnover is large. Ordinarily speaking, it is only medium. 23. Can you give us the ratio for twelve months of the proportion of dispensing business compared with that in proprietary lines ? —No, I could not give that offhand, but I could send the information to the Committee. The Chairman : We will have an inquiry made through our local office. Witness : I will undertake to forward the information. • 24. Mr. Reardon.\ I suppose the friendly societies would do a greater proportion of dispensing business than you would, for instance ? —Yes, but that a friendly society has its business guaranteed. They can go ahead with their dispensing at a certain rate, and if they do not make up the necessary amount of money are entitled to levy. 25. But the proportion of dispensing business done by the societies would be higher than yours ? —Oh, yes, the proportion done by them would be erormously ahead of ours. The two could not be compared. Mr. Myers : I suppose the friendly societies do not aim at making a profit ? Mr. Reardon : I think so long as they make ends meet they are satifised. Of course, the average chemist would depend mostly on proprietary lines. Witness : Some dispensers do not bother about proprietary lines. 26. Mr. Young.\ Do you know whether, as a rule, friendly societies make a levy ?—They certainly make a levy on each of the lodges to conduct the society, according to their membership, and if the dispensary makes a loss I know they have the right to make a levy, and 1 know of one occasion where they suffered and they had to make one. 27. I think you have an all-night dispensary in Auckland ? —Yes. 28. Does that do business other than dispensing ? —Practically nothing. They stock Antiphlogestine and certain well-known remedies which doctors may order, but apart from such lines they do no other business than dispensing. 29. Have they any rivals in business ?—None whatever. 30. It is a concern run by chemists for the convenience of the public ? —Yes. 31. Can you give an indication of the charges made by that dispensary compared with those charged by the ordinary dispensing chemist ? —Yes ; the dispensary charges are in all cases Is. extra. 32. Does that extra shilling enable the all-night dispensary to show a large profit ? —No ; it has never shown a large profit. The largest it ever had in one year was £100. To the best of my recollection, it was in the neighbourhood of £80. 33. What sort of a turnover does the all-night dispenary have in comparison with your own ? — The all-night dispensary would do slightly more than I do in dispensing. 34. What was their turnover, for example, last year ? —I am speaking from memory. I think the average turnover for last year was about [Figures deleted] a month. I would not be quite sure about it, but I am pretty certain it was under [ Figures deleted,] for the year. 35. The Chairman.'] And yet their dispensing business is larger than yours ? —Yes. 36. Mr. Reardon.] How many chemists are interested in the all-night dispensary ?—Practically all of them are interested. 37. Mr. Young.] How do the wages you have to pay a dispenser compare with the wages paid to a grocer's assistant ? —I think one of the witnesses said yesterday he paid his assistant £4 7s. 6d. a week. The award wage for a chemist just out of his apprenticeship—an unqualified assistant without examination —is £4 7s. 6d. a week. That is the minimum, and there are few men employed receiving only that, because if an assistant is not getting more than that he would not be worth much. 38. That is for an unqualified man ? —Yes. 39. Can you say what a qualified man is worth ?—I think the minimum for a qualified man is £5 12s. 6d. It is certainly over £5. 40. The Chairman.] What do you pay your man ?—I have not a qualified man. I have a senior apprentice at the present time and pay him £1 12s. 6d., and then I engage extra assistants at certain busy periods, for which I pay 3s. an hour. 41. Mr. Young.] Can you give us the name of some tooth-paste which you stock at present ? — Yes, there is Kolynos, Colgate's, Euthymol, Pyrex, Royle's, Nyal's, and Pepsodent. 42. If a person, comes into your shop and asks for a tube of tooth-paste what would you give him ?—Either Royle's, Nyal's, or Pyrex. 43. What are the prices of those brands ? —Round about 12s. 6d. a dozen wholesale, and they retail at Is. 6d. per tube. 44. Why do you not give them either Kolynos or Colgate's ? —The price of Kolynos or Colgate's varies all over the town, and will continue to vary unless something is done to stop the variation. I mean that the retail prices of Kolynos and Colgate's are cut. 45. Is there any Other reason why you would not offer that person Kolynos or Colgate's ?—No, there is no other reason than that. 46. Do you consider [Name deleted] is as good as the others ? —Well, at the present time I do not consider [Name deleted] is quite as good as [Name deleted.]
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