Objections to the Auctions 197 



that they artfully made and packed the poor quality goods so 

 that none but good judges could discriminate. ^^*^ Auctions were 

 supposed to facilitate these deceptions because the time and con- 

 veniences allowed to examine the goods were entirely inade- 

 quate.^*" Auctions caused a decline in the "distinctive character 

 of goods," that is, they could no longer be bought simply by 

 name and brand and number"- but only after personal inspection. 

 These allegations were probably somewhat exaggerated, for most 

 of the goods sold at auction were sent there from the stocks of 

 importers and retailers"^ and the difficulty of examining the 

 goods in the short interval at time of sale was "in some measure 

 removed by the previous exposure of the goods for examination 

 (i to 3 days) and also by the three days allowed after each 

 sale, as allowed by common custom for the examination, within 

 which time, goods sold as perfect, and of specific lengths, 

 breadths and qualities, if found to dift'er from the terms of sale, 

 in either of these respects," might be returned, or retained by 

 the purchaser "receiving such deductions as may be agreed upon 

 at his option. "^^° That so few claims were made for deficiencies 

 is evidence that the frauds were not rank..^^^ 



(j) Various undesirable social results were ascribed to 

 auctions. They were thought to lower private morals. Decep- 

 tions, frauds, irresponsible sellers, etc., which were alleged to 

 prevail at auctions, were said to be subversive of "the mutual 



^*°Niles, 18: 419. The difiference amounted to at least 20%. 



^*' "Remarks upon the Auction System," 42-4. "At what are called 

 piece or shelf sales, which form nine-tenths of auction sales, — one minute, 

 or even less, and scarcely ever so much as two minutes, is all the time 

 usually allowed to a large company of perhaps two hundred buyers, to 

 examine, in the twilight of an auction store, amidst noise and confusion, 

 goods which they never saw before. The worse the goods — the shorter 

 will probably be the time given." Niles, 34: 259. 



"'"Names and lengths now (1828) really mean nothing— for years past 

 all has been confusion." "Remarks upon the Auction System," 22-26. 

 Instances are given. 



"^"An Examination of Remarks upon the Auction System," 10. 



^^" X. Y. Assembly Journal, 1829, p. 393. 



"^ "The average amount of deductions made from package sales of 

 British dry goods, for claims of every nature, will not equal the one- 

 sixteenth of one per cent." Auctioneers' Memorial, Annals of Congress, 

 i6th Congress, 2d session, p. 1528. 



