AUCTIONEERS BILL

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 3824, 28 July 1928, Page 3

AUCTIONEERS BILL

AMENDING LEGISLATION. “This is the first attempt for 37 years to overhaul the law relating to auctioneers, and this is the third main piece of legislation * for 86 years. In many respects, therefore, the existing law is archaic.” This information was conveyed to the House of Representatives by the Attorney-General (Hon. F. J. Rolleston) on Thursday night when having the second reading of the Auctioneers Bill.

The Minister explained that the Bill proposed to apply to the licensing of auctioneers exactly the same principle as affected the licensing of land agents. The change was important, and one, it was believed that would ensure that only fit and proper persons would be granted licenses. The fees would remain the same and still go to the local authority. If a more equitable distribution of the fees than proposed were suggested, the Government would be prepared to adopt it, as it was desired to find a workable basis. Mr. Rolleston said that one of the reasons for the alteration now proposed was that complaints from time to time had been received that moneys belonging to other people had not been accounted for by auctioneers, and a certain amount of looseness had been displayed in some cases. Another class of auctioneer —the itinesant class —had grown up, who had interfered with the general tradespeople of the community. They wese here today and gone to-morrow; and it had been considered tnnt those who set themselves up as auctioneers should be subject to some more rigid control than was at present enforced. Licensing at present was somewhat of a fiat of the local body, but it had been found in practice not to work too well, because the local authority had not always the proper facilities to ascertain the character, etc., of the applicant. Other clauses in the Bill which sought to further protect the public were those relating to the deposit of a fidelity bond and the keeping of a trust account, the Minister said he was prepared to send the Bill to the Statutes Revision Committee and to hear any representations and evidence from those concerned.

Replying after a number of members expressed their views, the Minister said that there was no desire to impose hardship on auctioneers or farmers, but the matter had In be conducted on safe lines. The Bill was read a second time and referred to the Statutes Revision Committee.