THE BENZINE SUPPLY.

Taranaki Daily News, 20 January 1920, Page 8

THE BENZINE SUPPLY.

THE CRISIS PASSED. The latest information available concerning benzine supplies easts a niueh more favorable atmosphere over the situation, and it is evident that the crisis is now past, while future anticipations are of an optimistic nature (says the Auckland Star). In this connection it was pointed out by a wholesale dealer that if consumers will only exercise a little patience and be prepared to work along an lor the adverse conditions without creating a panic In* hoarding lip supplies the position will soon be normal. He criticised the hoarding policy as (he bugbear in the way of fair allocation.

Last, week a long-anticipated overseas shipment arrived by the Wairunn at Auckland from San Francisco. It comprises about. 40,000 cases, and of this amount 17,000 cases of l!ig Tree will lie unloaded al, the port to the agency of Messrs. A. S. Patterson. Of this quantity an allowance for leakage is made of about 1000 eases.

Regarding the allocation of this shipment, a representative of the Board of Trade marie the following statement: —''The Board of Trade is allocating tlie whole of the shipment from the Wa ; .-ima and sanctioning all orders held by Messrs. A. S. Patterson for the shipment. The petrol regulations, which came into force in -inly, IRlfi. will still he enforced, and notwithstanding the fact that the company has held orders for a considerable time it is impossible to supply the full quantities ordered. The basis of the distribution is the cutting down of everybody's supply to the minimum so as in enable all essential industries to get a fair share of the shipment." The petrol regulations of lftlfl entail that the whole of the benzine imported must lie distributed in accordance with the. regulations in regard both to quantity and price, and in every case preference must be given to essential industries. The enforcement of the regulations also means that all dealers in benzine, whether as importers or distributors, must be the holders of licenses. No importer of benzine, according to the regulations, may allow a distributor to take more than four weeks' supply at one time, and no distributor i; permitted to sell more than four weeks' supply at any one time to a consumer. Nex't month further shipments again are expected, and on these grounds the Board of Trade substantiates its statement that the crisis has passed. The fixed price will remain unaltered, •md here it unv he noted that the shipment by the Wairnnn for Messrs A. S. Patterson is costing them MO per cent more than a similar cargo at the same time last vear.