MOTORISTS’ SAVINGS IN CHRISTCHURCH

Press, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 25300, 27 September 1947, Page 2

MOTORISTS’ SAVINGS IN CHRISTCHURCH

REDUCED CONSUMPTION REPORTED

Garage proprietors in Christchurch were unanimous yesterday in their opinions that some Christchurch motorists were making genuine efforts to converse petrol supplies. In all cases there had been a considerable reduction in petrol sales for the first three weeks of this month as compared with the same period last month.. Part of this reduction could, however, be explained because of the abnormal and panic buying of petrol last month, when some motorists thought that petrol rationing was to be introduced. One proprietor who was in the business in a small way only said his sales for this month were 640 gallons as compared with 813 gallons for the same period last month. He did not have many private motorists as customers, but he did know of cases where two or three motorists were using one car where normally each would use his own. Commercial firms were his main customers, and they were making efforts to conserve petrol. Garages were economising by limiting to the minimum the number of trucks sent out on repair work. A proprietor whose firm sells a big quantity of petrol said that his records showed there had been a definite saving over the last week or two. This might have been caused by motorists using up their surplus stocks purchased during the panic buying period last month. He knew that many of them had a big supply on hand at that time, but in spite of this there was a saving of at least 10 per cent, over normal times.

A third proprietor said that his books showed a 20 per cent, reduction over the last three weeks as com< fiared with the first three weeks’’ of ast month. Compared with consumption in- the first three weeks of other months, .this inonth’s demand was at least 10 per cent, lower.