COLOURING OF PETROL

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29365, 18 November 1960, Page 19

COLOURING OF PETROL

Canadian Visit Postponed (From Our Own Reporter) WELLINGTON, November 17. A visit; by a Transport Department officer to inspect Canadian petrol-colouring schemes has been postponed by the Government until after the election. This was said at a meeting of the National Roads Board today by the Commissioner of Transport (Mr A. E. Forsyth). During the recent session of Parliament, the Minister of Transport (Mr Mathison) said that the Cabinet had approved a trip to Canada by a Transport Department officer for this purpose.

“It is still under consideration,” Mr Forsyth said. “Our man hasn’t gone overseas yet. The Government felt it wouldn’t be right to go ahead until after the election.”

The board had before it a letter from the South Island Motor Union advising that at its recent annual meeting it passed a resolution urging the Government to. continue its investigations into a system of colouring petrol. The acting-chairman (Mr P. L. Laing), who is Director of Reading, said the board had been consistent in advocating coloured petrol. High-octane Petrol Mr G. A. Harris (Municipal Association) said he thought that the high-octane petrol to be introduced next year should not be subject to a rebate. “I don’t think it would be necessary to use high-octane petrol in tractors and other farm implements. They can function quite well on existing grades,” he said.

Mr Harris said that last year some Transport Department traffic officers checked returns for petrol rebates. The number of prosecutions afterwards showed there was some misuse.

“I do hope that early in the life of the new Parliament the Government will see fit to bring down some workable scheme,” he said. “I think the board would be rather anxious that something be done about it. The legislation was passed more than 12 months ago.” Mr Laing said he could not imagine that high-octane petrol would be used in farm implements, but administratively there could be complications in Mr Harris’s suggestion. The board decided to affirm its attitude that a coloured petrol system should be introduced.