§ 30. Mr. REMERasked the Attorney-General whether his attention has been drawn to the case in the King's Bench Division, Westby v. Noyes, in which it was shown that an agent, who was not disclosed to probable purchasers, enhanced 2092 the bidding at an auction sale for the benefit of the vendor as if the agent were a legitimate would-be purchaser; and will he take steps to amend the law so as to bring such proceedings in future within the description of conspiracy and therefore illegal, and also to make it compulsory that auctioneers shall openly declare reserve prices, if any, on behalf of vendors in order to prevent prices being put up by undeclared agents of the vendor?
§ The SOLICITOR - GENERAL (Sir Stafford Cripps)I have seen a newspaper report of the case in question, from which I observe that the jury found that the plaintiff had not been employed for reward to bid on behalf of the vendor. An Amendment to make it illegal for any person to agree on behalf of the vendor to bid up the price at a sale by auction was negatived on the Third Reading of the Auctions (Bidding Agreements) Bill in 1927, and the Government cannot consider the introduction of legislation on the subject at the present time.
§ Mr. REMERIs the hon. and learned Gentleman aware that the case in question involved a book which is at present in the British Museum, and for which the trustees had to pay £7,000 more than they ought to have paid?
§ The SOLICITOR-GENERALI am quite aware of the fact that the case referred to a book in the British Museum.