PETROL RATIONING

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 1, Issue 59, 6 September 1939, Page 5

PETROL RATIONING

private TvibTOitisTS ; r - UNLUCKY •; , >:o ; - ■ \ ; ' RUSH FOR LICENSES Two harrassetl officials stood behind the counter of the Whakatane Post -Office yesterday dealing with the "hundreds of applications for licenses f to purchase petrol, and their answ■ers brought home ,to many the seriousness of the position. Mr L. W. Wood, the postmaster, in whose ""hands the licensing of petrol supplies "in the district lay from midnight last night stated that from last night tne of! ice was open for this purpose un- - til 8 p.m., and will be until further .notice. There have been queues nine and ten deep before each clerk and npr "plications have been scrutinised care fully. As from to-day no private ,-person using h's car for pleasure -.will: be licensed to buy pet_ PRv *»nd this applies to those who live "within a five miles radius of Whakatane and come into town to -work each day. They have no chance --at all of getting petrol at present. Applications are being scrutinised "by a small local . committee which "will judge each case on its merits ? .so that local knowledge of the circumstances will enable expeditious and accurate decisions to be made. On Monday and Tuesday the sale t>f petrol was permitted in, two-gal-lon lots. Some motorists obtained „ full tanks early in the morning, but St was not long before the service stations were informed of the regulations. and customers found "that they were required to sign for their purchases, while the numbers ' »of their cars were taken. There wns : a little resentment on the part of some motorists, but it was generally realised that excentional circumstan. ces prevailed. "There's a war on'' - was the general attitude, and some • old soldiers brought out the wellworn "C'est la guerre." Travellers in some cases were inn * quandary and a number, who were . . Auckland-bound, left hoping that at " Rotorua or other centres they would "be permitted to buy another ration to see them further on their journey. As has been stated earlier all supplies of petrol must be authorised "by the district controller, .whose staff ■ will issue a ticket without which - garages will not be allowed to supply petrol or power„kerosene. Even "if the garages need petrol" for their - own use they must make application and their licenses will be granted or declined according to merit, as in the case of other members of the -community. In the meantime the restrictions cover petrol and power"Trerosene only. Lighting kerosene and -<oi!s are not rationel. An Oil Fuel Controller lias been "appointed in Wellington in charge of "the regulations. He has given power through the Director.General of the Post and Telegraph Department to -each chief postmaster, who is a dis- • triet oil fuel controller. Each per- ■: rnanent postmaster who is a deputyregistrar of motor vehicles has been

-appointed a sub-district oil fuel comptroller. BUSINESS LICENSES. Owners of private fuel store tanks -or suppliers will have to procure n "license for that bulk supply. In addition they will have to record on a special form which may be obtained 'from the sub-district controller all issues of'motor spirit for use in cars 'Or appliances under their control. A petrol license is required by -every'firm or class of business.' They •"will be issued with a license on ap- , "plication which "\\4ll cover all vehicles used in their business. In these cases aseparate"license will not have to be secured ' for each particular ~m vehicle in a firm. A list of the services considered in the initial stages "to he essential and therefore in need -of petrol, is detailed elsewhere. The -"Government will try as far as pos- - sijfle to. ensure no stoppage of busi- - ness. ' Before deciding whether a license - should be granted, partly granted, or refused, the sub-committee will "take into account the extent to which other suitable moans of trans_ " pjvrt are available to the applicant, as, for example, train, tram, bus, ■taxi or other licensed road service. Any license may be revoked or - varied at any time ? f there is sufficient reason to Justify this action. PENALTIES .FOR BREACHES. Special licenses may. also be issued " but only for a period of one -week oc ""less, to persons who are at present absent from their homes or hcadnuarters with their motor vehicles. "The licetise will be for quantities of motor spirit sufficient to enable them "to drive t& : their homes.

Applications for . special licenses must be accompanied by a letter setting; out all, the reasons why a license is required, - Breaches of the will, according to the Gff^e tip, notice, be punished by a term of thrqc months' imprisonment or a fine of.£loo or by both three months in prison, and a fine of £100. In addition, it is proposed that in serious cases of breaches of the the vendor's license will bo cancelled.