THE PETROL SHORTAGE

Press, Volume XLVIII, Issue 14349, 8 May 1912, Page 2

THE PETROL SHORTAGE

NO CHANGE IN THE POSITION

There is really no change in the position regarding the shortage of petrol. An order for 2000 cnsVs has bee " sent to Australia, and the consignment ia expected to arrive shortly. It was intended at first to send over the petrol in small lots on i-assenger steamers, but some difficulty has boon experienced in carrying this out, and the probabilities now are that the whole sliipmi !it will come by a cargo boat. The date of arrival of the consignment is sonieuhat indefinite, but the expectation is that tho goods will come to hand before the end of the month. Tho Ilohinfeid, which reached Melbourne a few days ago, has 3000 casi's on board lor Lvitelton, and this shipment should also con'c to hand before the end of the month. The bulk of tlie supplies for New Zealand will bo in Auckland at the beginning of July, and the cases should arnive in Christchurch by July 7th. The appearance of thoso surplus "*■■"-"ill effectually put an end to the prr-sont shortage. The present big demand for petrol is due largc-ly to tlie fact that maiiv peoples arc buying extra quantities t-o keep them g'.'inj; until tho n-jrular shipments begin again. Tht? onLmry d< , •iiiand for mining purposes is much smaller, and in any event the present timo of the year is not a very active one to far as motoring is ix)iiccrned. A leading garage owner expressed the o*. , in ion yesterday that there was really* no reason for the fancy prices that were being asked for petuol. Sooner than pay £2 a case, most of tho motorists would curtail their running and cut out all "joy rides." lie did not think that the price should j:o beyond 30s a case. As far as his firm was concerned, tlipy held a pood supply* and their clients, also, had all la;d in adequate stocks before the frenzy came. There were also a number of country people who had oil engines on their farms, and who hc'.d stocks of from ten to twenty cases of petrol Theto people were bringing their sup plies into town, for it paid them i<> realise now and to buy again when the regular supplies arrived, for th'irc , was uot much work for their engines to do at the present moment. There was still a good stock of petrol in tho country districts, and his firm were getting offers to sell from all parts of Canterbury. Our Kaiapoi correspondent writes :-- The expected 'famine in petrol bids fa'i to fkzle out- No later than yesterday users were bains informed that a thousand cases were on the way in one consignment. No doubt ther3 is more to fo low, and the mild scare, -which was attributed to a corner; to the floating of the Petroleum Company and other causee, is fast peterfng out.