§ 6. Mr. PEMBERTON BILLINGasked the President of the Board of Trade whether the Regulation laid down by the Business Names Act that the name and nationality of the directors of every firm shall appear on the notepaper of that firm is considered to be carried out if these particulars appear only on the back of the notepaper, and in a microscopic type?
§ Mr. BILLINGWhat is it proposed to do to firms who adopt this practice of endeavouring to evade the Act by putting their names in microscopic letters on the back of the paper?
§ Mr. BILLINGWill the right hon. Gentleman undertake to prosecute any instance I bring to his notice—may I ask if he will?
§ 7. Mr. BILLINGasked the President of the Board of Trade whether any applications have been received from firms of enemy origin for exemption from the Regulations laid down by the Business Names Act that the names of their directors and particulars of their nationality should be printed on their notepaper; and, if so, whether any such exemptions have been granted?
Sir A. STANLEYIn only three cases have any such exemptions been granted, one of these being a postponement for six months.
§ Mr. BILLINGWill the right hon. Gentleman name the cases?
§ 8. Mr. BILLINGasked the President of the Board of Trade whether Messrs. Fuerst Brothers, of 17, Philpot Lane, have been fined for contravention of the 1374 Business Names Act; whether this firm is supplying the Government with chemicals; whether the directors are of British nationality and, if not, at what date they came to be naturalised; whether one of the members has changed his name from Fuerst to Forster; and, if so, on what date the change of name was authorised?
Sir A. STANLEYProceedings were instituted by the Board of Trade against Fuerst Brothers, Limited, for failure to make proper disclosure under the Companies (Particulars as to Directors) Act and each of the directors was fined. I understand that the company has supplied Government Departments with chemicals. All the directors are British subjects, two of them, who were naturalised in 1882 and 1884, respectively, being of German birth. I understand that one of the directors changed his name from Fuerst to Forster in February, 1917.
§ Mr. BILLINGWould the right hon. Gentleman say whether Fuerst gave any reason for changing his name? Was it that his children could pronounce it better?