§ SPONSORS' MARKS
§ Mr. WigginI beg to move Amendment No. 2, in page 4, line 29, leave out from first 'design' to 'as' in line 30.
The only amendment to this clause is to leave out the words in parentheses. These words were included in conformity with the proposals for the Bill prepared 814 by the Department of Trade and Industry. It might be helpful to explain that when I approached the Department with a view to introducing the Bill it agreed to give its full co-operation subject to certain guidelines. These guidelines have been thrashed out over three years or more between the Joint Committee of Assay Offices and officials of the Department. There was no question but that the Joint Committee was in basic agreement with this point. This amendment is the result of those consultations.
The words have the effect of requiring any sponsor's mark for the assay offices themselves to be of a common single design, or they did originally. However, the assay offices would like to have different sponsors' marks for each office and the Department has now, I think, sensibly agreed.
The point is that there are some tiny manufacturers who make very few articles and therefore scarcely qualify to have their own registered mark. Some maker's mark must be put on these articles and the office do this from a standard mark. It is fair that each office should have its own standard maker's mark.
§ Mr. EmeryI should only add that the amendment continues a practice which obviously the assay offices value. Whilst it might be considered to be a slight complication, I understand that this is the way that it has worked in the past. Therefore, I see no reason to object to the amendment.
§ Amendment agreed to.