PETROL RATIONED

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 59, Issue 276, 4 September 1939, Page 6

PETROL RATIONED

LICENCES MUST BE OBTAINED. ONLY FOR ESSENTIAL NEEDS. PRIVATE OWNERS DEBARRED REGULATION FOR THE PRESENT. (Per Press Association). WELLINGTON, This Day. An announcement was made to-day by. Mr A. Tyndall, -who has been appointed oil fuel controller, that after midnight on Wednesday no ordinary persons will he able to obtain supplies of petrol unless they possess and present a licence. The ration will he two gallons at one time. Mr Tyndall said although provision had been made in the regulations for rationing all kinds of oil fuel these would apply to motor spirits and power kerosene only in the meantime. - The rationing scheme would be brought into operation and would be administered, by the Controller through district and sub-district controllers. There would be a district controller for each postal district in New' Zealand, and a sub-district controller at most places where there was a deputy registrar of motor vehicles. Resellers of motor spirit wore required to inform the local sub-district controller immediately of the total stocks of motor spirit and kerosene held by them. Persons desirous of obtaining a licence to purchase these commodities must apply at the Post Offices where forms would 'be available. Private car owners would be unable to obtain sup-lies of motor spirit at the commencement of the rationing scheme., hut it was hoped, if available supplies were found to he sufficient to meet the requirements of essential services, to extend the authority for consumption to private owners. The. prices to he charged for motor spirit -would he those operating under the Motor Spirits Regulation of Prices’ Act until the rationing scheme became fully effective. Resellers would not he permitted to sell to other than regular customers. The supply to private carowners would he limited to two gallons at any one time. Any person who had not obtained a licence by midnight on the second day after the gazetting of the regulations was to be refused supplies. Provisional licences would bo available to border-line cases.