powder, and it is claimed that the present tax more than doubles the cost of this important commodity to the government. It enters also largely into the manufacture of celluloid, with its many dependent industries; hence, it affects the interest of the photographer. It is one of the most important of the costly raw materials in the manufacture of various colors for silk, cotton, and woolen goods, wall-paper, and printer's inks; and in dyeing it is a valuable agent in fixing the colors. Indeed, the majority of the manufacturers in this country make use of alcohol or some derivative therefrom to a greater or less extent in the production of their goods. There are some industries that have been driven out of the country altogether by the present tax, a case in point being fulminate of mercury, the explosive material of percussion caps, which is now imported from Canada at a cost from one dollar to one dollar and fifty cents per pound cheaper than it can be made here.

The benefits resulting from the repeal of the alcohol tax would be felt immediately by both the maker and user of the automobile. At present gasoline is practically the only motor fuel available, and there is no doubt that the development of the automobile is handicapped somewhat by the present price of this fuel, to say nothing of the apprehension that it will steadily increase in price with the development of the automobile industry. Alcohol has been tested very extensively abroad, and it is considered in France to be in every way a superior fuel to gasoline, being free from

all obnoxious qualities, and far less dangerous to the

user.

It is claimed by the sponsors of this bill, and we think with every show of probability, that the removal of the tax and the cheapening of this easily-made and extremely useful commodity would, in addition to its indirect benefits to the many industries affected, so stimulate its manufacture as to result in the development of an entirely new industry that would afford a promising field for the investment of capital and for the employment on a large and increasing scale of labor. It is also claimed, and we think on good economic grounds, that the reduction of government revenues due to the repeal of the tax would be more than compensated by the increased demand for other articles that are the subjects of taxation, whose cost would be considerably reduced were grain alcohol exempted.-Editorial in the Scientific American.

DRUGGISTS DON'T CHARGE ENOUGH FOR PRESCRIPTIONS.

Here are some facts and figures furnished "Notes" by a Chicago druggist who will not take a summer vacation this year. Our readers will see why when they get through reading this article.

This druggist figured drugs and prescriptions at the usual rate of an average of 100 per cent advance over the cost. It should have been 200 per cent, the difference between the two percentages being the dif

This druggist's receipts for six days were $131.27, distributed as follows: For cigars $24.10, on which there was a profit of $4.80; drugs and prescriptions (on which there was a profit of 100 per cent), $48.60, profit $24.30; sundries $22.62, profit $11.31; patent medicines $29.10, profit $9.70; telephone $3.00, profit $1.20; newspaper ads. $3.85, profit 38 cents; all of which gives a total of $131.27 in receipts and $51.69 in gross profits. His expenses were $36.00, leaving his net profit $15.69 for six days, or average daily profits of $2.61. Will he have a summer vacation? Hardly.

Now if drugs and prescriptions were figured on the 200 per cent basis, this same six days' profits would have been increased by $24.30, making $39.99, or an average daily profit of $6.66-which in the course of a year provides a summer vacation for self, wife, and babies. See?

Does the situation fit you, Mr. Retailer? Then you have the remedy. This remedy has been applied by our distinguished friend, Frank E. Falkenberg, and the volume of his business has steadily enlarged under his 200 per cent policy. The cheap-John druggist, like the cheap-John doctor or lawyer, is rated

as dear at any price.

But wouldn't increased prices on patent medicines bring the same satisfactory results? No. If the reader will examine the figures carefully he will find that the druggist in question is located in a full-price neighborhood and got full prices on every sale of these goods made during the six days covered by the figures.

What does this all mean?-simply that the apothecary side of the average retail drug business is the big side, and there is where the profits should be made.-"N. A. R. D. Notes."

Making the Tinctures of Iodine and Camphor.

L. L. Staehle, of Newark, N. J., says: "For many years I have made iodine tincture by putting the iodine into a glass percolator, the orifice of which is loosely packed with cotton, and pouring alcohol on same until the desired measurement is obtained. The same process I use in making spirits of camphor. Instead of breaking up the camphor into small pieces I use the whole gum, which means the avoidance of loss. This method results in a saving of time."

LETTERS.

A NOVEL WINDOW DISPLAY.

To the Editors:

The following idea for an attractive window display is, I believe, distinctly new and novel, and if properly gotten up will almost surely "sell the goods." The essential ingredients are:

R Electric fans, j.

Red incandescent lights, ij.
Inventive ingenuity,

Elbow grease, ää q. s.
Mix according to art.

The display was first used to advertise horehound cough drops, and besides doing this effectively, it created a great deal of talk and local comment.

First make a guard for the fan from wire screening, fastening it in such a manner that the fan blades are entirely protected on all sides except the back. This is best accomplished by removing the regular fan guard and wiring the screen on the inside of the guard, the side guard being made by fastening a long strip of screening entirely around the fan. This should be wide enough so as to extend back nearly to the body of the fan, and front an equal distance, thus forming a kind of basket.

The fan is then placed upon its back or adjusted so that the air current will blow straight towards the ceiling. Now take some bright red and blue tissue paper, cut into strips about 1/16 inch wide and 15 or 18 inches long, and paste the ends securely to the guard so that when the fan is in motion the paper will present an upright fluttering mass of color. Use the brightest shades and have the red strips in decided excess over the blue. Paste the strips more abundantly towards the edges of the guard, since the bulk of the air current comes from the ends of the fan blades.

Now start the fan, and, as the paper straightens out, carefully work the red lights down among the mass of paper, disarranging it as little as possible. Viewed from a short distance the contrivance will present a startlingly realistic appearance of fire, the red lights simulating the glow of the coals, and the paper, the leaping red and blue flames. The display is most striking at night.

The display was further elaborated by heaping broken boughs up around the fan, thus imitating the faggots of a real fire. A tripod or three-legged stand was also made from clean boughs, and a small iron

pot, filled to the brim with the drops, was suspended from the center by a chain hanging directly over the fire. Two of the boughs were longer than the third, affording support above for a large sign which read: "Old-fashioned Horehound Drops made in the Oldfashioned Way." A liberal display of the drops themselves completed the outfit.

This idea can, of course, be varied to suit individual taste and ingenuity. Autumn leaves, natural or artificial, form an effective trimming, and a background of red enhances the fire effect.

The different electrical connections can easily be made by using extension plugs and cord with the ordinary incandescent socket. The red lights may either be bought or made by dipping the ordinary incandescents into a dilute solution of bleached shellac and methyl alcohol, strongly colored with anilin red. A little experimenting will determine the amount of color necessary.

And last but not least-don't forget to put in signs and prices, for with an interest-exciting display of this kind, everything in the way of a sign is eagerly read and commented upon. VINCENT BENEDICT.

3022 Archer Ave., Chicago, Ill.

POLICY OF THE GEORGIA BOARD WITH RESPECT TO INTERSTATE REGISTRATION.

To the Editors:

In the last number of the BULLETIN OF PHARMACY I noticed a paragraph on interstate registration in which you state that you are under the impression that certificates of registration issued by the Michigan Board are accepted by a certain number of States, among which Georgia is included. We have always been ready to exchange licenses with other States, and have the authority given us by our law to do so. When I became secretary of the Georgia State Board of Pharmacy, I found that the agreement which had been made some years before had fallen into disuse, and the way in which the matter was managed was such that it was difficult to tell just where any respective board stood in regard to the matter, as the membership of the different boards was changing from year to year and their policy was not always the same.

In view of this fact, I devised the plan of making a direct agreement with those States which desired. to exchange with Georgia. This policy has been carried out ever since. We make an agreement with each State based upon their laws and our laws, so that

when a man has complied with the requirements of both States he can exchange from one into the other. This is done upon a unification of the requirements of the two States. Georgia now has such a written. agreement with Florida, Louisiana, Tennessee, and Ohio. We do not know whether these States exchange with each other or not, but they do exchange with us. It is in the agreement that they are to continue to do so until the secretaries of the respective boards are notified of their desire to discontinue such an exchange.

This makes a very satisfactory arrangement. We are not aware that any other State is making a systematic effort in regard to the matter of exchanges outside of the States mentioned as exchanging with Georgia. GEORGE F. PAYNE,

Atlanta, Ga.

Sec. Georgia State Board of Pharmacy.

HE DOES HIS OWN PRINTING.

To the Editors:

The most interesting pages in the BULLETIN OF PHARMACY to me are those devoted to the advertising ideas of druggists. I get a great many notions from these that I find of help to me. I am unfortunate enough to be located in a small town where we have no newspapers, but I have just begun a system of advertising that I think will prove very successful. I happened to find a second-hand 7 by 11 old style Gordon press which I bought at a very low figure, and I purchased also some new type in six different sizes. With this outfit I am doing my own printing. I find on an investment of $75 that I can save the price of my outfit in eight months.

I enclose a card in two colors which I have recently

Time Keepers of Progress.

ARE HAMILTON, ELGIN, & WALTHAM MOVEMENTS.
I carry a compact line of the leading makes of cases and
movements. Not the biggest line, but an all good one.

Every American Watch sold by me is fully warranted by the
manufactures and myself to be perfect in all its parts and reliable
time keepers You do not want trash, neither do you want to
pay too much for your goods. I make it possible for you to buy
standard makes and grades, for prices that are absolutely right.

I save you a gratifying per cent over the prices asked by others.
My watch line is very complete, showing over 50 styles of gold and
silver watches, all new designs.

A splendid lot of new Jewelry Novelties, on which I am making
extremely low prices. It pays to trade in Benedict, you get more
for your grain and can buy same goods for less money.
Says KLONDIKE

printed-and I want to say incidentally that I never had any experience in setting type until I purchased the press. My cards are all printed on yellow stock, and this combination of yellow and black is also the color scheme of the outside of my store. All of my board signs are likewise yellow and black, so that my advertising is uniform in color. In some of my printing, as you will notice by the enclosed card, I also use two colors of ink, printing the headlines in red. I send out over the rural postal routes every Thursday an issue of cards like the sample, and thus keep people in mind of the "Klondike Drug Store."

I advise all druggists in the country districts who do a great deal of advertising to buy a small job press and do their own printing. They will find it a very economical investment.

I call my place the "Klondike Drug Store," or simply the "Klondike," and I find that it is much easier remembered by people than my own name of Baughan, and is much more effective in advertising matter. I only wish I had a greater command of the English language so that I could write more effective

"IT PUZZLED HIM:" THE SOLUTION. To the Editors:

On page 512 of your excellent magazine for December I find an illiterate customer's order printed under the title of "It Puzzled Him." I have endeavored to translate this, with the following result:

Please send me a bottle of iodine for erysipelas for baby and tell me how to use it. Oh! I am using copper; will it make (work) against it?

In this locality, especially with the foreign-born, the words "make for" or "make against" are very common, when people mean to say that it would be the proper or the improper thing to do. I venture to say that the writer of the order in question was a German, as the people of this race use the word "work" very freely.

Cleveland, Ohio.

JAMES BATES, M.D.

To the Editors:

A CORRECTION.

Permit me to correct one statement in your editorial paragraph on "Educational Standards in New York," p. 490, December. You state that the Board of Regents will conduct a special examination in pharmaceutical arithmetic for an obligatory portion of the required 12 counts for entrance to the pharmacy schools [under the operations of the new graduation prerequisite law]. As a matter of fact, this point has not been decided. The representatives of the pharmacy schools [of the State] present at the recent conference in Albany urged such a provision, in view of the well-known and lamentable deficiency of the common schools in the practical teaching of arithmetic. The State Department of Examination, however, finds some technical difficulties in the way, and is now engaged in considering the feasibility of overcoming them. H. H. RUSBY.

115-119 West 68th Street, New York, N. Y.