More petrol droughts predicted

Press, 17 April 1979, Page 2

More petrol droughts predicted

PA Auckland > New Zealand could expect]’ more petrol shortages such ' as those which affected Wei-!: lington and the Bay of!' Plenty over Easter, said the I 1 Minister of Energy (Mr i Birch) yesterday. ]’ The Easter Saturday crisis! had been expected, he said, i but he had received no re- < ports of outlets fading to 1 supply. ’ < “We have known for some time that this low point was coming,” Mr Birch said. ; “However, there will be 1 others like this. It is a mat- i ter of not getting ahead of < the logistics and ensuring; sensible, continuing sav- ] Ings.” t Of the recently announced] Iranian oil prices of] $U516.57 a barrel for light! oil and 5U516.04 a barrel fori] heavy oil, Mr Birch said New Zealand’s suppliers would continue to buy from < the cheapest source. He considered that a system in which each country 1 was charging a different price could not work for long. If the Western coun- i tries could restrain their demand there would be market pressure on the countries such as Iran to reduce high prices. If demand continued to be] Strong, Saudi Arabia would] come under pressure to raise!

its prices to the higher level, Mr Birch said. Petrol resellers in the Tauranga district were more than relieved to see the coastal tanker Amokura arrive at the Port of Tauranga yesterday morning.

The arrival of the tanker ended fears of a petrol dought in the area served by the port — about a quarter of the North Island. Last week fuel installations at the port ran low after tanker shipments from Marsden Point were delayed by an industrial dispute. At one stage, stores were down to a level where service stations could not be given their full requirements. In spite of the low stocks, motorists in the Bay of Plenty have not done' any panic buying. The Tauranga member of the Dominion service station committee of the Motor Trade Association, Mr E. E. Blumhardt, said service stations had been busy on Saturday morning, but demand for petrol had fallen off during the day. Most service stations in the district were now down to about two days supply of petrol, so the arrival of the Amokura was a great relief. ■ “We would have been I very short if she had not arI rived today,” he said.