Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-11-03
BLANK BOND FORMS
SENT AUCT|0NEERS
Twenty Who Now Hold Ii
censes Given Chance to
Furnish $1,000 Security.
DISTRICT HEADS MOVE
TO CHECK FAKE SALES
Police Regulation May Also Elm
mate "Puffer" and Limit
Ringing of Bells.

Twenty auctioneers to whom licenses
! We're issued to engage in business in the
District Of Columbia last year today were
supplied with blank bond forms which
| they will be required to fill out in the
amount Of 5000 each and return to the
District authorities if they would have
| their licenses renewed.
The blanks were sent out early today
by Wade H. Coombs, District license
clerk. as the result of decision reached
by the Commissioners last Friday, to en-
force the provisions of the amended
statute of January 26, 1887, requiring
auctioneers to give bond. The law is as
follows:
NO person whatsoever shall sell or
expose for sale at auction any property.
resil or personal. within the District of
Columbia, without having first obtained
license as auctioneer. Any person who
may oner to sell at auction any personal
property or merchandise without license
shall be fined not less than 500 for each
onense. Every licensed auctloneer shall
OF Columbia in the sum Of 5000, with
two good and sufficient sureties, to be
approved by the Commissioners, for the
honest and due performance of all duties
required by law. Every auctioneer fail
ing to comply with the provisions Of this
section. by the laws of the District OF
Columbia governing such sales. shall. on
conviction. forfeit his license and be
lined not less than $780,"
Decision Reached Friday.
Because OF the fact that the Commits
sioners' decision to enforce the statute
was reached only Friday, the time was too
short in which to prepare bond forms to
give out on the following day, the begin
ming of the new license year.
Auctioneers who applied Saturday at the
office of Mr.. Coombs for license renewals
were told that they would be supplied
with blank forms today and that they
would be permitted to continue in .busi-
ness until their bonds had been examined
and decision reached as to whether their
licenses would be renewed
The Commissioners will inspect all
bonds submitted. AS heretofore, the fee
charged for an auctioneer's license will be
$1OO.
May Bar Auction Sale "Pufer."
It is probable that the Commissioners
this week will consider the adytsability Of
promulgating police regulation, based
upon the act of 1887. which will provide
that no person shall be engaged to act as
'puner" at auction sales and that the
ringing OF bell to attract attention to a
sale of this character shall be restricted
to once day and period of time not ex-
ceeding five minutes.
The proposed regulation also will pro-
vide that no auctioneer's license shall be
granted to any person who is not resi-
dent Of the District of Columbia
As it requires thirty days for a police
regulation to become effective, it is likely
that this amount of time will elapse be-
fore the Commissioners have examined the
bonds to be submitted and the renewal
applications passed upon. 1t Is believed
that enforcement of the law now on the
| statute books and the police regulation
contemplated will be sufficient for the
| protection Of the public against fake auc-
| tion sales