HC Deb 22 November 1916 vol 87 cc1493-4

(1) The Board of Trade may require any person to furnish to the Board such particulars as appear necessary to the Board for the purpose of ascertaining whether or not he or the firm of which he is partner should be registered under this Act, and may also in the case of a corporation require the secretary or any other officer of a corporation performing the duties of secretary to furnish such particulars, and if any person when so required fails to supply such particulars as it is in his power to give, or furnishes particulars which are false in any material particulars, he shall on summary conviction be liable to imprisonment with or without hard labour for a term not exceeding three months or to a fine not exceeding twenty pounds or to both such imprisonment and fine.

(2) If from any information so furnished it appears to the Board of Trade that any firm or person ought to be registered under this Act, the Board may require the firm or person to furnish to the registrar the required particulars within such time as may be allowed by the Board, but, where any default under this Act has been discovered from the information acquired under this Section, no proceedings under this Act shall be taken against any person in respect of such default prior to the expiration of the time within which the firm or person is required by the Board under this Section to furnish particulars to the registrar.

Mr. KING

I beg to move, in Sub-section (1), to leave out the word "particulars" ["in any material particulars"], and to insert instead thereof the word "particular." I understand that this Amendment will be accepted.

Amendment agreed to.

Motion made, and Question proposed, "That the Clause, as amended, stand part of the Bill."

Sir A. WILLIAMSON

Can the representative of the Board of Trade give any reason for this Clause? Is it to help people to know whether they come within the Bill or not, because there are cases near the border line. There are foreign firms doing business in this country through a firm here, and it is not quite clear whether they have a place of business here or not. I do not know whether that is what is in mind. It would be useful if the Board of Trade could tell people so situated whether they are within this Bill or not. I can conceive such cases as that, and there may be other cases near the border line.

Mr. PRETYMAN

The Clause is simply this, that where it is reported to the Board of Trade that a firm ought to be registered, it will be in their power to send somebody to require particulars to be given, which will enable them to decide whether the firm ought to be registered or not. Without the power to require the furnishing of particulars, it would be impossible to decide whether they ought to be registered or not without going to a Court of Law.

Question put, and agreed to.