Notes

Abstract

ON Saturday, December 10, the Official Referee under Part I. of the Safeguarding of Industries Act gave his decision on the complaint that santonin has been improperly included in the list of goods upon which import duty must be paid. The drug is derived from flowers grown almost exclusively in Southern Russia and Turkestan, and is extracted by a simple process which does not appear to demand professional skill; its application is medicinal as distinguished from chemical, but the evidence on the question whether it should be regarded as a “fine chemical” was most conflicting, and emphasised the difficulty which may be experienced in defining a “synthetic organic chemical” within the meaning of the Act. After two hearings Mr. Cyril Atkinson, K.C., expressed the view that the word “chernical” is not a scientific term, but implies a distinctive substance which is, generally speaking, brought into being by a chemical reaction, or primarily used for taking part in a chemical reaction; whilst “fine” chemicals are those which are manufactured by processes involving chemical skill. Furthermore, he ruled that santonin be removed from the list, on the ground that it is not brought into existence by processes of chemical action, and is not applied in chemical changes; thus its inclusion would not benefit the industry, but would only tend to raise the price of a useful drug.