Petrol clamp to stay at Easter

Press, 12 April 1979, Page 4

Petrol clamp to stay at Easter

Wesport reporter The Minister of Energy (Mr Birch) said from Granny yesterday that there was no chance of lifting petrol restrictions during the Easter week-end. He was replying to comments made by the Labour spokesman on energy, Mr F. M. Coleman. Mr Coleman said the Government should lift all restrictions because holiday plans had been upset by the pilots’ strike. The public had co-operated in saving petrol, and people deserved a good holiday before the winter set in.

“The Government is now facing the same question that the Labour Government faced in the Easter of 1974 during that oil crisis,” Mr Coleman said. “We decided at that time that the people deserved a good holiday . . . and our ex-

perience showed that people did not abuse the privilege.” Mr Birch said he would like to lift the restrictions but petrol stocks were low at present, and this would not be possible. The position was different in 1974 because New Zealand was coming out of a fuel crisis. “We have 12 days supply, and if we are going to maintain order in the marketplace we must keep the restrictions on,” Mr Birch said. Individual oil companies could well say there was no supply problem, but present stocks were half the amount normally held. To lift restrictions now would invite difficulty with the continued supply, he said. A decision to permit Saturday sales during Easter had been made a month ago so that people could plan their holidays and that still stood, Mr Birch said.