“IT'S ALL VERY ABSURD.”

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXIII, Issue 7, 6 May 1912, Page 4

“IT'S ALL VERY ABSURD.”

VACUUM OIL GO’S VIEW OF ALLEGED SHORTAGE.

Mr. Hamilton, manager of the Vacuum Oil Company Was interviewed by a “Dominion” reporter on Friday in respect to the reports which were being received from tlie different centres in respect to an acute shortage of motor spirit. “It is all very absurd,” said Mr. Hamilton. “There is, as a matter of fact, enough spirit to keep all the wheels going until June 15—then there would be a slight shortage until the steamer arrives on June 30 or July 1 with a cargo of spirit.” In the meantime has there been a run p “Run 1 should think there had—if I were to attempt to supply all the orders on hand, I could dispose of the whole of my present stock and 3000 cases besides. People who ordinarily order 20-case lots are urgently requiring 40-case lots, and the 5 case man wants ten cases. Of course, lam not fulfilling these orders. It would be palpably unfair to some to assist others to “boost” the price, I am just fulfilling the steady orders, without noticing the demands for largely-increased lots. What 1 would like you to say is thata we have not raised the price at all of any kind of motor spirit, 1 and if all we hear is true people are paying quite unnecessarily high prices for it in other places. If we had listened to the ‘hot air’ talked, anad made ourselves party to it, we could easily have made from £2OOO to £3OOO during the last week, but we did not think it proper to impose any extra charge. The prices to-day to the public are as follow: —Gasoline, 2s Gd per gallon; benzoline, Is 9|d per gallon; motor spirit, Is 7|d per gallon; and benzine, Is std per gallon. We don’t sell enough gasoline to float a tin boat on—it is used to create an illuminating gas for picture-show machines, where there is no electric plant. Benzoline is mostly used in the prodnetion of air gas for light and heat. Nearly all the motor-driven vehicles, cars, and cycles use either motor-spirit (petrol) or benzine.”