USE OF PETROL

Wairarapa Times-Age, 7 March 1941, Page 6

USE OF PETROL

DEMAND FOR ECONOMY UNDUE EMPHASIS ALLEGED. . STATEMENT BY MOTOR TRADE PRESIDENT. [• (By Telegraph—Press Association.) 5 WELLINGTON. This Day. [ Too much emphasis was being placed > on the need for economy in the use of i petrol, compared with other imports, i less valuable to the economic life of New Zealand, said the president of the ■ New Zealand Motor Trade Federation. Mr. C. R. Edmond, in a statement issued yesterday. “The motor industry," he said, “is being called upon to make tremendous sacrifices, in that the importation of new motor cars is entirely prohibited, and the industry can continue only if a reasonable opportunity is given for vehicles now in New Zealand to be kept on the road. The industry is also making a big contribution toward the manufacture of munitions in Now Zealand, and it is essential for the safety of the Dominion that the motor trade be kept at a high state of efficiency, because of the specialised mechanical nature of activities in association with the Army and the Air Force. It can be said without fear of contradiction that the motor industry is one of the most important industries in New Zealand today, in relation to ' both its peacetime activities and its essential wartime service.” Petrol was the only commodity in daily use in New Zealand that was subject to rationed control. The amount of the ration was substantially less than that allowed in Australia. Even today there was no rationing scheme for petrol in Canada, South Africa or India. The basic ration in | England today was on a mileage basis of 200 miles a month, according to the horsepower of the car. and in the case of cars higher than 20 h.p., the basic | ration gave a maximum of 10 gallons a month. The position in New Zealand today was that 8 h.p. cars received a basic ration of five gallons a month; 10 h.p. cars 71 gallons, and 15 h.p. and over, 10 gallons a month; so it could be fairly stated that the New Zealand ration today was comparable with the ration allowed to private motorists in England. “It must be remembered."' said Mr. Edmond, “that the New Zea- ' land ration as stated above, includes the additional coupon which has been allowed for March and April." When the Minister of Supply announced on February 28 the petrol ration for March and April, he made an appeal to motorists not to use their

petrol coupons if they could possibly ’ avoid it. The Prime Minister followed this up with a similar appeal during his recent visit to Auckland. The High Commissioner for the United Kingdom in New Zealand made a further appeal when opening the Taranaki Show on Saturday last. The total value of imports of merchandise into New Zealand for the year ended December. 1940, was £48,997.669. New Zealand currency. Of this amount, petrol absorbed only £2,145,047, This meant that the cost of petrol absorbed only a little more than 4 per cent, of the’ total money which New Zealand spent in the importation of merchandise during last year. When - these figures were considered, it was hard to understand why such emphasis should be placed on economy in petrol, when other items were completely overlooked. "Members of the motor industry in New Zealand have proved their wilD ingness to pull their full weight in the wai effort, but we feel that too much emphasis is being placed on the question of restricting the use of petrol, particularly when it is general knowledge that there are ample supplies of petrol in the world, and that the cost of supplies is not increasing overseas and the Motor Trade Federation is of the opinion that adequate arrangements can be made to sustain at all times a reasonable stock of petrol in New Zealand." said Mr. Edmond. "Admittedly. such arrangements must be subject to any major international problem, which may arise at any time but we can only legislate within the knowledge available from time to time,"