MOCK AUCTIONS. (Hansard, 28 January 1930)

§ Mr. WOMERSLEY

I beg to move, That leave be given to bring in a Bill to amend the law with respect to auctioneers and to prohibit the holding of mock auctions and rigged sales. I have moved a similar Motion to this on two previous occasions, and on both occasions I received the permission of the House to introduce the Bill, hut, owing to circumstances over which I had no control, I was not able to get either Bill on to the Statute Book. I suggest that hon. Members opposite should give me their whole-hearted support for this particular Measure, because at any rate it will offer some protection to the working classes of this country, who have been swindled on many occasions by those people who hold mock auctions. I need not explain at great length the methods that these gentlemen employ, because I am certain that there are many hon. Members in this House who have seen these gentlemen operating their so-called trade, and no doubt many hon. Members have been swindled themselves by them. In the main streets of the great cities of this country, and particularly in the holiday resorts, these gentlemen carry on this form of swindle and can be seen at any part of the year. Their methods are to offer imitation, fictitious articles, got up in a very flashy way to represent something better, and to induce people to pay very big prices 848 for them. They practise also the thing known as ringing the changes, which I imagine is not unknown to politicians in another sense, and they keep in the crowd confederates who urge the people to go and buy. They practise various systems of pretending to return the money, which they fail to do. It is well known that these people are frauds, and it is felt by many people that they ought to be dealt with more stringently than the law at the present moment allows.

There are three ways in which this is a great evil to the country: it robs the purchaser, it lowers the reputation of any trading centre where these gentlemen set up their business, and it diverts trade from the legitimate trader. I urge on behalf of the trading community that something should be done to stop this great evil. Again, it degrades the status of the very honourable profession of auctioneers. Auctioneers who are carrying on their profession in a proper and honourable way are desirous that something should be done to stop this evil, and the Secretary of the Incorporated Society of Auctioneers, Mr. John Stevenson, has from time to time done all he can to mitigate the evil on behalf of the people whom he represents. He has taken actions under the common law and has succeeded in a few cases, but, as the law stands, he is not able, nor is anyone, able to deal with these gentlemen in the way in which they ought to be dealt with. The Chief Constables of many cities have expressed the hope that a Measure such as this will be passed to strengthen their hands.

This Bill also seeks to deal with the question of rigged sales. I do not know whether hon. Members are so well acquainted with that type of auction. A large country house is taken, and stocked with antiques of all kinds, with furniture that is supposed to be of value which it is not, and with pictures that are supposed to be genuine but which are not, and the property is advertised as if it were that of the people who had lived in the house—probably people whose names are well-known, and who have a reputation for being judges in these matters. The house is stocked with this class of goods, and under the guise that they are the contents of the residence of Mr. So-and-so, they are sold to the public and fetch high prices. I know 849 something about the class of things that are sent to these places, because some years ago, I had the privilege of visiting a certain antique factory in the east end of London. I saw some beautiful old Sheffield plate being made, and saw that it was quite easy to make antiques, Sheffield plate and glass in such a way that only an expert can distinguish it from the genuine. The object of these people in running these sales is to catch the unwary and to get big prices. Of course, the people do not understand the articles that they are buying, and because of the good name at the top of the bill, believe that they are genuine.

It has been argued that the present law is strong enough to deal with this matter, but it is not. Just recently a case was put up to the Public Prosecutor to test this very point. I hope that the Home Secretary will be able to accord his support to this Bill, because it has now been proved conclusively that the law is not strong enough to deal with this matter. The Bill seeks to inflict penalties for offences, and to cancel the licence of an auctioneer or any man who is found guilty of carrying on these malpractices. It has the support of many organisations throughout the country, including the National Chamber of Trade, the Auctioncers' Institute, the Incorporated Society of Auctioneers, the National Association of Goldsmiths, the Scottish Association of Watchmakers and Jewellers, and the London and Suburban Traders' Federation. It is backed by hon. Members from all sides, and I hope that it will receive the assent of the House.