PETROL SUPPLIES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 5 August 1941, Page 6

PETROL SUPPLIES

ACTION BV AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT CONTROL OVER PRIVATE STOCKS. DEMAND FOR COMPLETE RETURNS. (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) SYDNEY. August 4. The cutting down of petrol supplies to the bare bone has practically paralysed the motor industry and delivery services throughout Australia, the repercussions of which are being felt by the industry generally. The Commonwealth Government today adopted an extreme course to get complete control of petrol stocks remaining in the country by issuing an order freezing all supplies held by private persons as from tonight. Everybody other than oil companies and retailers holding stocks in excess of 12 gallons is required to make a return to the Fuel Board within the present' month. The Minister of Supply (Senator McLeay) emphasised that this action amounted to the marshalling of data which would be available in readily useable form in case of necessity. A report from Brisbane on the subject of petrol hoarding says that hidden under a fake haystack in New South Wales is a private petrol hoard of 16,000 gallons in 400-gallon drums. This is only one of a series of reserve stocks secreted throughout the Commonwealth since the enforcement of rationing. Conservative official estimates place the total of private reserves at 15,000.000 gallons.