PETROL PRICES.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLII, Issue 2154, 24 July 1920, Page 4

PETROL PRICES.

GOVERNMENT URGED TO TAKE ACTION. A request was made to Iho .Prime Min is ter this week, in I he House of Representatives, by Air T. M. Wiiford, to Lave inquiries made with a view to ascertaining; why it was that petrol was sold at such a high price in Kew Zealand. Mr- Wilford said that when he hud arrived recently at California the price of petrol was 23 cents a gallon, and that when he left it was 25 cents. At the present rate of exchange this would make the price. about Is. .For commercial purposes alone it was very necessary that the petrol should be obtainable here at a reasonable price, and something should be done to ascertain who was profiteering. He knew that America used a great deal of the spirit herself, and caused a shortage, but that was no reason for the prices that were being charged here. The Prime Minister said that the President of the Board of Trade could perhaps better answer the question, but he was not in the House. He would, however, pass the matter on to him. The Board of Trade had gone into the matter, but the trouble was that they had never had sufficient supplies to carry on with, much less to enable them to set up a reserve. There was no question that there existed a shortage of petrol in America in spite of the price. He feared that America might prohibit the export altogether. He would be very sorry if this happened. Mr Vigor Brown; “Could not the Government bring it over here 1 ” Mr Massey continued that they w r ould have to encourage the importation into Kew Zealand of petrol in every way possible. He referred to the urgent need for it in the country districts, where it w r as used extensively in the farming industry. He w'ould, however, have the matter thoroughly gone into.

' Mr Wilford said that he had been informed that New Zealand’s method of buying petrol was to some extent a reason for the high price. If, instead of importing it in tins it could be shipped out in bulk, and stored here, and distributed in bulk, the cost would be cheaper.