HOURS REDUCED FOR PETROL SALES

Chronicle (Levin), 5 November 1947, Page 4

HOURS REDUCED FOR PETROL SALES

WELLINGTON, Nov. 4. A reduetion in the honrs for normal petrol saies — with a five-day week, Monday to Friday, and the hours oq Friday continuing to 8 p.m. — has been. made under the Oil Fuel Emergeney Regulations, said the Oil Fuel Controller, Mr. G. L. Laurenson, today. As soon as the present emergeney ended this direetion would be withdrawn. Mr. ■vaurenson added that this was delinitely not a permanent direetion nnd would continue only. as long as the Minister of Supply allowed, Strpplies to some essential users could not be reduced, Mr. Laurenson said, but with the good sense of the public the st'-heme would be a success. He realised there would oe -iome trouble with the black market but that would® have to be stopped from the beginning. That the reduetion in hours would not be permanent, was confirmed by tne secretarv of the New Zealand Retail Motor Trade Association, Mr. O. R. Ed- , mond. The retail trade had not asked f for a reduetion but if there was to be t) a saving in petrol, a redxiction of seiiing hours was necessary. The five-day week would last only as long as the dollar crisis, he thought. Emergeney sta- » tions would be open on Saturdaya and Sundays but they woujd be "real emergeney stations" Avatelied by Transport Department officers to aee thaj only the real needs of bona lide travellers were supplied. The eomplaint in the past was that emergeney stations had been used by other than autiiorised users. As pump ineter readings would be checked and no more. than the allocation of petrol could be sold, he did not think the system would lead to black market saies.