§ 68. Air-Commodore Harveyasked the President of the Board of Trade what modifications he has made in connection with Statutory Rule and Order No. 1496 of 1947, which forbids any person to enter goods for sale by auction more than once every six months; and if he will reconsider his decision not to revoke the order.
§ 71. Mr. Rentonasked the President of the Board of Trade what are the reasons for the regulation that no dealer may enter his goods for sale by public auction without the consent of the Board of Trade; and how long he intends to maintain the regulation in force.
§ Mr. J. EdwardsThe purpose of this control is to ensure that advantage is not taken of auction facilities to carry on a business in price-controlled goods without complying with the price control regulations; and we do not consider that the time has arrived when this control can be entirely removed. An order has, however, been made which frees from control the auctioning and sale by tender of most secondhand goods and which simplifies the form of control for goods remaining subject to it. The provision for a formal declaration which had the effect of preventing a person from entering price-controlled goods in auctions more than once every six months is omitted. The goods for which a licence to auction or sell by tender is required under the new order are new price-controlled goods and also a small group of secondhand goods if, and only if, they are, or recently have been, part of the stock in trade of a business. All other secondhand goods, including furniture, may be freely sold by auction or by tender by anyone, including traders. The new order comes into force tomorrow.