H.—44.

CHATTELS TRANSFER ACT, 1924. Section 57 of the Chattels Transfer Act, 1924, provides for the protection of bailors of such chattels as are referred to in the Seventh Schedule without the necessity for registration of the agreements concerned, and, furthermore, it is provided by the Act that Orders in Council may be issued to extend the Seventh Schedule by the addition of further classes of chattels recognized as being the subject of " customary hire-purchase agreements." The Department has charge of the administration of this section of the Act, and whenever applications are received for the extension of the schedule thorough investigation and inquiry is made by the District Officers in each of the four chief centres of the Dominion as to the customary trade practices, and as to the desirability or otherwise of adding such articles to the schedule. During the past year applications were made in respect of the following classes of chattels : Dental and surgical equipment; butchers' machinery ; power concrete-mixers and automatic stokers for steam boilers ; machinery, implements, and accessories thereto for use in the clothing-manufacturing, laundry, and dry-cleaning industries ; steel shelving, and shop and office fittings. Careful inquiries were made in regard to each of these applications, but in no instance was the evidence obtained considered sufficient to warrant the addition of the particular chattels or class of chattels to the schedule. TRADING-COUPONS. The Trading-coupons Act, to suppress the redemption of coupons otherwise than for cash, was made law on the 9th November, 1931. The principal and important provision of the Act is to prohibit after the 30th April, 1932, the redemption of coupons except for cash. The Act repeals the Tradingstamps Prohibition and Discount-stamps Issue Act, 1908, covering the principal provision of that Act by prohibiting the issue and redemption of any trading-coupon except by the manufacturer, packer, importer, distributor, or seller of the goods in question. The Department has experienced some difficulty in the administration of this Act. Until certain principles at present in doubt are finally decided by decisions of the Court the difficulties involved in the determination of what constitutes a trading-coupon, and in deciding under varying circumstances when " redemption " takes place, will continue. Certain " competitions " which have been conducted in support of the sale of proprietary articles will shortly be made the subject of legal action which should decide the points at issue. EXPORT LICENSES ORDER, 1931. The regulations were gazetted on the 22nd December, 1931, and became operative on the Ist Januarv, 1932. The object of the regulations was to mobolize credit in New Zealand banks in London as proceeds of sale of exports from New Zealand were available. To achieve this end the above Order provided that all shipping documents were to be negotiated through a bank operating in New Zealand. The general administration of the regulations and the issue of general licenses were controlled by the Department. Particular licenses for casual or infrequent shipments were issued by the Customs Department. The number of general licenses issued exceeded two hundred. A bond for the due observance of the regulations was required by the Export Licenses Order, and this was accepted, under the exporter's own recognizance. In some cases special undertakings were required where exports to foreign countries were financed by credits established with banks in Australia. Special arrangements were also necessary in cases where the system of financing shipments differed to some extent from that contemplated in the regulations. The administration in issuing the general licenses involved considerable correspondence and also a great number of personal interviews with exporters. AH matters arising out of the regulations were dealt with expeditiously, and any delay or inconvenience to exporting interests avoided. BOARD OF TRADE (CINEMATOGRAPH FILMS) REGULATIONS, 1932. These regulations were gazetted and became operative on the 7th April, 1932. They are designed to prevent certain undesirable and unfair tactics adopted in the motion-picture business adversely affecting the smaller and independent exhibitors. The regulations empower the Minister to direct that no license under the Cinematograph Kims Act be issued where the following circumstances exist: — (1) The theatres in any locality are adequate to meet the normal requirements, having regard to standard of film exhibited, the seating-accommodation provided, and prices of admission being reasonable. (2) The opening of any additional cinematograph theatre would, by reason of the limited number of reasonably good picture films available, cause undue hardship to the existing theatres : (3) The erection of further theatres in any locality would result in an unreasonable economic waste. The Department in administering these regulations has obtained all necessary details regarding existing licenses and the proposals of applicants for new licenses. Applications affected by the above regulations have been received from Whangarei, Te Kuiti, Morrinsville, Parnell, Napier, Hastings, Stratford, and Eotorua. In each case the information has been placed before a Magistrate, as an independent party, for consideration and opinion as to whether or not the application for the issue of a license should be acceded it.

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