BIDS AT AUCTIONS

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 16233, 6 January 1927, Page 5

BIDS AT AUCTIONS

MADE BY PRESSING BUTTONS."

LONDON, November 20. Electricity is to he the handmaiden of commerce in a very novel form when the extension to the Spitalfieids fruit and vegetable, market costing £2.C00,0C0 are completed next year. The scheme is to have a sales room like a Roman amphitheatre, with numbered seats in tiers. Before the auctioneer, on his rostrum in the arena will be. a table for samples. When one lot of samples of fru.it and vegetables has been disposed of the table will disappear to the basement thanks to an electrical device, and 'will rise again with a new load.

To meet the desire for secrecy in biding, bidders instead of shouting out their offers, will press a, button on the ledge in front of their seat. An electric indicator at the auctioneer's side, and visible to no one but himself, will record the bid.

There is a Used scale at which bidbine increases—for the sake of illustration, say 10s a time. Kay the bidding for some goods starts at £lO. The man occupying seat number 20 presses his button, and number 20 will be recorded on the electric indicator, thus showing that he is willing to buy for £lO 10s. Number 25 presses his button, and the auctioneer will know that number 25 will give £ll.

The blind! (Miction will continue until no more bids are received, and the Roods are knocked down to the highest bidder, as recorded on the indicator. Only the successful bidder and! the auctioneer will know the purchaser.