BRITISH PETROL RATIONING ENDS

Press, Volume LXXXVI, Issue 26124, 29 May 1950, Page 7

BRITISH PETROL RATIONING ENDS

Crowds Rush To Buy Supplies SECOND-HAND CAR PRICES RISE (N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) (Rec. 9 p.m.) LONDON, May 27. Britons stormed petrol pumps to-day —the first day petrol has been off the ration for more than 10 years. Petrol station attendants were overwhelmed and tankers rushed emergency supplies to some garages. “No petrol” signs went up quickly at some small garages, but there was no indication of a general “drought.” At big holiday resorts labourers worked during the night laying out extra car parks and painting road signs. Police road patrols had holiday leave cancelled. Hotels were inundated with last-minute bookings from people who said: “We can manage it now that petrol is off the ration.” The Treasury is happy too—it expects to receive an extra £20,000.000 a year in tax revenue from petrol sales. Second-hand car dealers acted quickly. Some rubbed out old prices and added £5O to £lOO on “old hacks,” then sent out agents with orders to “buy as many cars as you can.” Government experts estimate that the end of rationing will raise petrol consumption by 300,000.000 gallons a year —7O per cent, of it coming from British sources. The unhappiest motorist in Britain was Mr Harry Wayne, managing-direc-tor of a firm making a substitute “off ration” petrol. He had planned to sell it at 5s 3d a gallon—2s 3d more than petrbl cost. The “Daily Herald” said that the lifting of petrol rationing was good business. as the motorist now got his petrol without weakening the nation's dollar reserve and employment in Britain was stimulated. The “Daily Telegraph” wanted to know why the Government had enacted in May what it had scorned as fantastic in February. “Strong grounds exist for suspicion that if a real effort had been made with ordinary tact, petrol could have been freed long ago.” The “Daily Express" suggested that the abolition of rationing was another move “courting popularity with the electors.”