PETROL RATIONING

Wairarapa Times-Age, 24 September 1940, Page 4

PETROL RATIONING

SACRIFICE OF MOTOR INDUSTRY TRADE’S REPLY TO MR NASH. COMPARISON WITH OTHER EMPIRE COUNTRIES. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) WELLINGTON. This Day. The statement that Canada, South Africa and India have not yet instituted any scheme of petrol rationing and therefore have not yet been called on to make the extreme sacrifice that the motor industry and the motorist in New Zealand are being called on to make is reiterated by the president of the New Zealand Motor Trade Federation, Mr C. 11. Edmond yesterday. Mr Edmund was replying to the statement by the Minister of Finance, 4, Mi- Nash, last week. Mr Edmond also '• pointed out again that the private motorist in Great Britain today has a bigger ration of petrol than the private motorist in New Zealand.

SACRIFICE OF MOTOR INDUSTRY

In the course of his statement, Mr I Edmond said: “The federation is of the i , opinion that the monthly ration should j J J be based on 7,000,000 gallons, whereas i the Government is basing its policy on an allowance of 6,000,000 a n month. As previously stated, the difference in sterling is approximately y £25,000 a month, and the extra galy lonage would involve approximately e four tankers a year, hence the Motor • y Trade Federation’s contention that such a small additional allowance could not make any appreciable difference in the Empire’s war effort from 1S the sterling-dollar exchange and tane ker position, but that on the other ’■ hand it would make a very marked difference in the capacity of the Do- “ minion of New Zealand to make a e greater contribution to the Empire war a effort. . . . "In the opinion of the Motor Trade e Federation, the latest cut in rations e which was brought into operation on July 1 was unfair to the motor induse try and to the private motorist, because in the first place stocks should - not have been allowed to deteriorate. 3 and in the second place it has been - proved over the Intervening period 5 that stocks can be built up to a satisfactory point by co-operation, with the ; importing oil companies. However, at > this point the motor industry agreed l ’ to accept the cut on the undertaking c being given by the Oil Fuel Controller ’ that the cut would be restored when ' stocks reached a certain point and pro- I ■ vidcd there was no serious change in ! 5 the international situation. ’ "In the meantime, the Government ’ has decided that it is necessary to > have a greater reserve stock in New ■ Zealand and has increased the previ- ’ cus reserve figure by 25 per cent,’’ Mr 1 Edmond said. "This brings the reserve 1 stock figure to from two to four million I gallons above the workable capacity of i the available bulk storage tanks in the Dominion. However, we know that the reserve storage position will be satisfactory at a very early date and we trust the Government will then implement its promise to restore the cut which was imposed on July 1. . . . “Mr Nash again states that the Government ‘will take steps to investigate the position of employees associated with the motor industry and will endeavour to ameliorate any hardship that might arise.’ It will, be seen that the employees are the only ones who arc to come into the consideration of the Government. We would point out

here that the great majority of petrol resellers and a large proportion of the garage proprietors are men who have risen to become proprietors by virtue of hard work, who have invested their comparatively small capital in a small business, and who today are in danger of losing their life’s savings and their means of livelihood. If such individual sacrifices are necessary to win the war, then the members of the motor industry are prepared to go that distance. However, it would appear from a general survey of the economic position of the Dominion that no other industry is being called on to make so great a sacrifice. “Finally; the Motor Trade Federation wishes to reiterate that Australia, Canada. South Africa and India have not yet instituted any scheme of rationing of petrol and therefore have not yet been called on to make the extreme sacrifice that the motor industry and the motorist in New Zealand are being called on to make. The private motorist in Great Britain today has a bigger ration of petrol than the private motorist in New Zealand. Fiji, which is a Crown Colony, and directly under the control of the United Kingdom Government, has no restrictions on the use of petrol. ... “The only gleam of hope is the statement made by the Prime Minister, Mr Fraser, to a deputation in Napier last week, that the ration would be reviewed. next month. When that review takes place we suggest to the Government that the Motor Trade Federation, as representing the whole of the industry, including the workers —because there would be no industry without the workers —should be brought into consultation, and we feel sure that a rationing scheme could be made opera- 9 tive in New Zealand which would have I the dual effect of keeping the motor in- u dustry going and at the same time giv- B ing maximum help to the war effort of | the United Kingdom, always bearing in I mind the need for an adequate reserve > stock in New Zealand for all national i purposes. '

■ “In the event of a national calamity, it is well to remember that the Government has the power to close immediately every petrol pump in the Dominion. thus conserving every drop of petrol for defence or emergency purposes.”