PETROL SAVING

Press, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 25306, 4 October 1947, Page 10

PETROL SAVING

REFERENCE TO PUBLIC BUSES COMMENT BY MR L. K. LAUGESEN “While not desiring compulsory restrictions for themselves, some motorists apparently think that compulsion should be applied to the passenger transport industry,” said Mr L. K. Laugesen, president of the New Zealand Motor Omnibus Proprietors’ Association, commenting on a report in “The Press” ws ter day of a letter from a member of tne Automobile Association (Canterbury) concerning conducted tours by the Government Tourist Department. Conducted tours provided a motoring holiday for persons who could not afford to run cars or who, through age or infirmity, could not drive them, he said. Ihe more fortunate car owners could still take motoring holidays, and there were no signs that they intended to refrain from doing so. Mr Laugesen, referring to a Press Association message from Hastings that Mr P. J- Skoglund, No. 2 Transport Licensing Authority, had indicated his intention of restricting all special bus trips to 30 miles, said: “Some weeks ago the Commissioner of Transport (Mr G. L. Lauren son) called passenger and goods service operators to Wellington to discuss petrol savings. Motor-buses carry the greatest number of people for the smallest expenditure of petrol, and it was agreed that time-table services should stand. It was also agreed that any action taken with contract services or special buses should be left to the licensing authorities. When agreeing to this; however, rhe industry anticipated that any compulsion would coincide with, and be co-extensive with, any compulsion applied to the remainder of the industry, and commercial and private users generally.”

Limit on Standing Loads Mr Laugesen said the commissioner had recently announced that standing loads must be reduced to pre-war limits, which meant that more petrol was used to carry the.same volume of traffic. Regulations had also been brought down requiring all new buses with more than 30 seats to have rear exit doors. This reduced seating capacity by 6 per cent “The Minister of Supply (Mr A. H. Nordmeyer) announced that there was no possibility of petrol rationing being introduced in the immediate future,” he continued. “On the same day. the No. 1 Licensing Authority said that special bus trips would be limited to a radius of miles. Now the No. 2 Authority says that special bus trips will be cut down to 30 miles. There is no semblance of orderly method or planning about the whole scheme. The transport industry is tired of being messed about, and having the authorities jump on it at every turn. Advantage is being taken of its status as a licensed industry to impose compulsory restrictions, while the rest of the community is free to make its own arrangements.”

The industry was quite willing to contribute its share to the saving of dollars, and was endeavouring to meet the position by close attention to tramc arrangements and requirements, added Mr Laugesen. “My protest is not against petrol restriction, but against unfair discrimination.” STANDING LOADS IN BUSES If provision wss made to meet the Situation that prevailed six years ago It might prove either wasteful or inadequate, said the general manager of the Christchurch Tramway Board (Mr J. F. Fardell), yesterday, commenting on the effect of the new regulstion by which the standing load in buses is reduced from one-half to one-third of the seating ca P a city. If the public told the board of any hardship that was imposed, whatever measures were possible would be taken. Mr Fardell said.

The law requiring thst the number of passengers standing should be only one-third of the seating capacity was filtered during the war because of the shortage of buses, petrol, tyres, and manpower