PETROL RATIONING

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 4, Issue 155, 15 September 1941, Page 2

PETROL RATIONING

EFFECT IN AUSTRALIA

CONFUSION IN INDUSTRY

Petrol rationing in Australia has taken morte than. haff tihe motor vehicles off the roads, with, drastic results to State and Federal revenues and confusion to industries.

Before the war there were 800,000 motor vehicles registered in Australia. The owners paid more than £17,000,000 annually in registration fees and petrol taxation. During the year ended June 30, 19-41, only 26,248 new motor vehicles were registered, aivrl only 18,894 of these were cars. An expert claims that this year, in New South Wales alone, 100,000, or a third of the total registrations, will be allowed to lapse. Fall in Bridge Tolils The Sydney Harbour bridge affords an excellent illustration of how sparingly cars are being used. Revenue from tolls during the first 19 days of August fell to £9469 from £13,439 during the same period last year, and £14,318 in 1939. The decldne is expected to increase sharply. Daily average for last May was. £671, and an additional cut in petrol in | July reduced takings to under £500 a day. The end of the year is expected to show a decline of £100,000. Hundreds of small garages and service stations have been forced out of business, and there is considerable dissatisfaction at the delay in implementing the Federal Government's moratorum scheme. Tradespeople and carriers are being greatly inconvenienced in delivering orders. Few Gas Uniits Available Only a limited number of charcoal gas-producer units are available, and motor vehicle owners who fit them complain there is a shortage of charcoal fuel. Tliis was partly explained Dy ope charcoal-burner who said lie could not get sufficient petrol to haul wood to his charcoal kilns. A redeeming feature of petrol rationing, however, has been the decrease of 20 per cent in the number of road accidents.