§ Any auctioneer who sells exciseable liquors in retail quantities for his own benefit, or in any quantity for the benefit of any person who is not licensed to sell the same, shall, unless in so far as such sale is covered by any statutory exemption, be liable to the penalties provided by Section sixty-five of the Licensing (Scotland) Act, 1903, for trafficking without a certificate.
§ Mr. STAVELEY-HILLI beg to move, "That the Clause be read a second time."
It appears to me to be a necessary Amendment, because it is not an unusual practice for auctioneers to promote sales of wines and spirits for their own benefit. They sometimes advertise these sales, but they are not sales in the ordinary course of their business. It is asserted by the licensed trade that auctioneers sometimes 174 purchase certain quantities of whisky in parcels smaller than wholesale quantities, and in order to deal with these articles they ought to have a retail licence, whereas the auctioneers, if they have licences at all, have wholesale licences. There is nothing to prevent auctioneers from selling small quantities at retail prices at a bonâ fide auction when they are selling in the course of their trade as auctioneers, and not for their own benefit. It is surely not the business of an auctioneer to sell liquor on his own behalf in retail quantities, thereby obtaining an unfair advantage over his competitors.
The SECRETARY for SCOTLAND (Mr. McKinnon Wood)As far as I can see, the action which the hon. Member wishes to prevent is at present illegal under the Revenue Act of 1864. It is undesirable to bring into this Bill, with which it really has no connection, a matter which is already dealt with in the Revenue Act.
§ Question, "That the Clause be read a second time," put, and negatived.