PETROL LICENCES TO BE REVIEWED

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 197, 18 May 1944, Page 4

PETROL LICENCES TO BE REVIEWED

Comment By Motor Union

(By Telegraph*—Press Association.! PALMERSTON N., May 17. A review of all commercial petrol licences was announced at a rimeting of the council of the North Island Motor Union.

Commenting on the announcement. Mr. W. 11. Brown (Palmerston North) said he felt there was hardly need for. any cut. One automobile association had been making the suggestion that there should be cuts in commercial licences and he wondered how much that had affected the decision. If it had done so, then the action of that automobile association was to be deplored. If the war situation was such that there should be cuts, then every motorist would willingly agree with such decision, but there had been nothing said to show that such a situation existed.

There was another vigorous protest when the secretary reported that be had written to the Minister of Supply pointing out that the latter had issued misleading statements about the comparison of petrol available to the Australian and New Zealand motorist but had received no reply. The letter had been written in March. Another letter had been sent to the Transport Department in March about an earlier announcement each _ month of coupon values for the following month. There had been no reply to that either. Mr. P. England (Wanganui): We represent 100,000 motorists in New Zealand and not. 10 per cent, of what we suggest is taken notice of. The time is coming when these 100,000 motorists will be fed up and will turn themselvces into a political organization to get things done. Another resolution passed was worded as follows: —“While the union appreciates the Government’s difficulties, dealing with petrol coupons and licences, particularly the latter, It feels that private motor owners should not be sacrificed on the altar of the licence holder. If there is any abuse of licences, it is not the duty or desire of the motor union to investigate the position on behalf of the Government. That, should be done by the department itself. The union has not at any time made representations that licences should be reviewed.”