THE PETROL TROUBLE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 203, 7 May 1912, Page 7

THE PETROL TROUBLE.

"IT IS ALL VERY ABSURD." VACUUM OIL COMPANY'S VIEW. Mr. Hamilton, manager of the Vacuum Oil Company, was interviewed bv a Dominion reporter at Wellington in respect to the reports which were being received from the 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 in the country 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? "Run? I 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 40case lots, and the 5-case man wants ten , cases. Of course, lam not- fulfilling these orders. It would bo 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 I would like you to say is that we have not raised the price at all of any kind of motor spirit, and if all we hear is truepeople are paying quite, unnecessarily high -prices for it in other places. If we had. listened to the 'hot air' talked, and made ourselves a party to it, we could easily have made from £2OOO to £3OOO during the last week, but we <lid not think it proper to impose any extra 'charge. The prices to-day to the public are as follow:—Gasoline, 2s Od per gallon; benzoline, Is 9y 2 d per gallon; motor spirit, Is 7'/o(l per gallon; and benzine, Is sVt.d per gallon. We. don't sell enough gasoline to float a tin boat on—it is used to create an illuiriinatinir gas for pictureshow machines, where there is no electric plant. Benzoline is mostly used in the production of air gas for light and heat. Nearly all the motor-driven vehicles, cars and cycles use either motor spirit (petrol) or benzine."