PETROL RESTRICTIONS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 223, 19 September 1940, Page 6

PETROL RESTRICTIONS.

(To the Editor.)

Petrol restrictions and red tape an definitely retarding increased production of primary goods in this country. The , farmer is expected to use the same (or very little more) benzine for Lie ear than the man in town, who uses hi. car solely for pleasure, although he hu access to the trams, buses, trains and taxis when his coupons are exhausted. These fuel-controllers, in the first place, are not in sympathy with the fanner? and secondly they are trying to tell « how to farm from the office deck, for when all ie said and done benzine to the ' farmer is one of his most essential nw materials. If the farmer has a ecknees in his family, stock-ills or a ibreakdown in any of his machinery, the con- *- troller makes no provision for this: all he thinks about is that the farmer wants the benzine to «ro to the noes pictures, sporty etc., in town. One would think when the controller gaVet-" a license for benzine that he was giving it for nothing. Instead we still hat* to pay 2/9 per gallon, w> it k not likely we are going to waste it. Usually by this time of year I would have chain-harrowed eonie hundreds of acres, but owing to petrol restriction* this year I have done none—and not likely to. This is how benzine « being saved. The farmer is trying to increase production, which incidentally creates credits overseas; and then ha* to go cap in hand to these petrol dictator* to ask if he can have more petrol to create more credits overseas to keep these dictators in good, jobs. DISGUSTED FARMER.