§ Sir H. NIELDasked the Home Secretary whether he is aware of the increasing practice of those persons and firms who let out furniture on the hire-purchase system to make the agreements with the wife of the hirer, whether she has or has not separate estate, taking the husband as guarantor for the wife, whereby the husband is enabled to defeat claims against him for rent; and whether, in order to prevent this practice, he will introduce legislation to amend Section 4 of the Law of Distress Amendment Act, 1908, so as to exclude the goods comprised in any such agreements from the operation of that Statute?
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§ The ATTORNEY-GENERALI have been asked to reply. I have no knowledge of the practice referred to: there is no prospect of legislation on this matter during the lifetime of the present Parliament.