PETROL SALES

Auckland Star, Volume LXXII, Issue 212, 8 September 1941, Page 8

PETROL SALES

SERVICE ON SUNDAYS MORE GARAGES TO OPEN An order providing for the opening on Sundays, Christmas Day, Good Friday and Anzac Day of an additional three petrol stations in the Auckland area is contained fn the current issue of the New Zealand Gazette. The new schedule will come into operation as from next Monday and the hours to be observed by the supplementary stations have been fixed for 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The district to which the order applies is from New Lynn to Ramarama. and it is divided into three Idealities. In the Avondale-New Lynn area there are five garage 12 are included in the Market toetoe locality, with a similar number in the Manurewa-Ramarama district. The petrol sellers in these areas are to open in rotation. Excluded from the provisions are taxi, rental car. bus-operating firms and those supplying fuel to launches.

Commenting on the new provision. a dealer said that even under the old allocation the sale of petrol on Sundays was not very great, and it remained to be seen whether the garages taking part in the scheme could pay their way under the 10 per cent reduction in petrol allowance to motorists. In August. 25 per cent less petrol had been sold bv garages to private motorists, but commercial sales had fallen to a lesser extent.

The fact that garage attendants were negotiating for a new award with a 40-hour week and the payment of double rates for Sunday work was an added complication. Under the present award, 44 hours a week ccfuld be worked and there was no provision for the pavment of overtime unless that period was exceeded. Most of the garages worked on the basis of a 66-hour week, and some were open 24 hours every day.