PETROL RATIONS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 215, 10 September 1940, Page 4

PETROL RATIONS.

N.Z. AND OVERSEAS. MOTOR TRADE'S CRITICISM. "The motor trade has been, and is, willing to make every sacrifice that the necessities of war dictate, but when the. New Zealand motorist is allowed less petrol than many British private car owners, and less than half the petrol ration of the Australian motorist, we must feel that the. vast industrial and commercial structure built on petrol is being placed in jeopardy for reasons outside the requirements of our wartime economy," says a statement issued by the. New Zealand Motor Trade Federation. Figures are set out showing a comparison of basic allowances in the three countries. For example, in the "up to 7 h.p." class, New Zealand 4, Great Britain 4, and Australia 10 gallons, are the quoted figures. For cars up to 11 h.p., New Zealand has 6 gallons, Great Britain 7, and Australia 14. Over 30 h.p. the figures are: New Zealand 8, Britain 10 and Australia 23. The British figures come from the "Motor" of June 5, and the Australian from the bulletin of the Australian Liquid Fuel Control Board.

"New Zealand owners of 8, 14 and 20 h.p. cars and over receive a smaller petrol allowance than their English counterparts," the statement continues, "and these three classes make up by far the largest part of motor .cars operating in this country. In almost all cases the allowances are more than double our ration.

"There seems to be no logical reason which could be supported in fact and not merely in theory to warrant such severe rationing. There seems no justification for the complete wiping out of hundreds of thousands of pounds in earnings every year, and of thousands upon thousands of pounds of taxation revenue, to 6ave a tittle of that sum in dollar exchange or overseas credit, or whatever it is the Government is trying to nave.

"There seems to be no right thinking in this scale of rationing, which will bring ruin to many in the motor business, will bring (yes, has brought) unemployment in its train, is seriously reducing the Government's taxation revenue and dangerously impairing the soundness of the Dominion's essential motor transport services." /