PETROL RATIONING

Wairarapa Times-Age, 8 September 1941, Page 7

PETROL RATIONING

VOLUNTARY MOVE IN CANADA. OTTAWA. Canadian motorists are sharply cutting the consumption of motor oil and petrol at the request of the Government. To effect a fifty per cent reduction recently declared necessary by the oil controller, motorists throughout the Dominion are driving less and operating cars more efficiently. They are no longer able to buy motor oil or petrol on Sundays or at night on week days. The diversion of tankers to Britain and the increasing demands of the Canadian war programme make this necessary. Canada is the fifth oil consuming country in the world but imports 85 per cent of the supply. Most imported oil comes by tanker from the United States and South America. It has been necessary to divert to Britain tankers normally supplying Canada and the Eastern United States. This has caused a serious reduction in the stocks of petroleum products in Canada. In addition oil and petrol are needed in heavily increasing quantities to supply the British and Canadian navies and the Dominion’s army, air force and war industry. The oil controller has stated that he is satisfied with the results of the firsttwo weeks of the self-imposed rationing by Canadian motorists .