§ 62. Sir N. GRATTAN-DOYLEasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will put the law into operation when auctioneers publish prices implying sale at those prices of articles passing through their hands although the articles are known to the auctioneers to have been bought in for the vendors or, alternatively, require auctioneers to state whether the prices they publish refer to a sale or not?
§ Mr. HACKINGI would refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to my hon. and learned Friend the Member for the Chatham Division (Sir P. Goff) on the 12th December last.
§ Sir N. GRATTAN-DOYLEIs the Under-Secretary aware of the extent to which the public are victimised by these practices?
§ Mr. HACKINGYes, Sir, but the efficiency of the law is not to blame; it is the fact that people generally are not prepared to give evidence.
§ Sir ARTHUR MICHAEL SAMUELIs the hon. Member aware that some auctioneers allow prices of goods which have been bought back to appear as if they were the actual purchase prices of those goods, and that this is apt to mislead the public as to market values? Will he draw the attention of the auctioneers' profession to the result of the practice complained of?
§ Mr. HACKINGThe real difficulty is that if a person pays £5 for something which is worth only 5s. he is not, generally, prepared to expose the hoax.