SAVING PETROL.

Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 218, 13 September 1940, Page 8

SAVING PETROL.

REVIEW OF LICENSES. ELIMINATION OF WASTE. With the object of eliminating wasteful and uneconomical running, No. 1 Licensing Authority, Mr. E. J. Phelan, has recently undertaken a comprehensive review of licenses, including those of furniture carriers, transport companies operating under contract, fruit and vegetable hawkers, aerated water manufacturers, bacon, ham and email goods manufacturers, and ancillary services. "I estimate that thousands of gallons of petrol are being saved monthly owing to the alterations that have been made in licenses," said Mr. Phelan today. "Co-ordination of the transport industry is aimed at, so that operators will render efficient service with a minimum of waste. I am hopeful that by the time our activities are concluded a still greater saving in petrol will be made." Mr. Phelan said furniture moving licenses had been restricted to a 30-mile radius of the operator's headquarters. Certain carriers had had licenses that enabled them to traverse the whole of the licensing district, and the limit that had been imposed meant the saving of a large quantity of petrol. The restriction did not mean that a carrier could not go further than 30 mile 9 on any trip, but it did mean that if he desired to make a longer journey he had to make special application. If the trip were warranted, a license would be granted. Passenger Licenses. "Passenger service licenses have been reviewed in respect to operators taking parties to sports fixtures and other gatherings," said Mr. Phelan. "In the past thev had a right under their 1: .:ses to go practically anywhere. For instance, parties were taken to New Plymouth and to Gisborne. Our records show that these licenses were largely availed of. On a recent occasion one company travelled its conveyances 2500 miles one week-end and consumed 250 gi."ons of benzine. That will give some idea of what was going on. These licenses have now been limited to a 30mile journey, and if an operator desires to go further afield he has to obtain special permission." Fruit and vegetable venders came under Mr. Plielan's review scheme. He said that he found that certain towns were being served by several distributors at the same time. It meant much overlapping and waste of petrol. He had divided his district into zones, with the resultant saving of much petrol. Aerated water manufacturers and the manufacturers of bacon and small goods had also been treated similarly. The use of horsefloats had been restricted and were not now allowed to travel outside the province without special permission. Their Own Services. Firms using their own trucks to pick up or distribute their own goods had come under - noticf. This had resulted in the imposition of a 30-mile limit. Permission had to be granted to go further afield. Services had been conducted to district? as far away as Gisborne— in fact,, practically all over the island. "If circumstances warrant longer journeys being made, licenses will be granted," he added. The gallonage that had been saved by the review of this class of license wag considerable. Mr. Phelan referred to the carrying service merger at Hamilton. This, he said, had resulted in saving 800 gallons of petrol a month, and he considered that the saving would be found much greater when the operators settled down to the new conditions. He had noticed mni overlapping in respect to the dairy industry, which he thought would be adjusted in the near future; Some dairy companies were taking the initiative and effecting alterations in certain cream truck runs to eliminate waste and overlapping.