Shortage Of Tyres May Worsen

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31365, 10 May 1967, Page 1

Shortage Of Tyres May Worsen

No motor vehicle tyres would leave the rail siding of the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company’s Papanui factory during the rail strike, said the general secretary of the New Zealand Rubber Workers’ Association (Mr T. Fletcher) yesterday.

He said this would aggravate the tyre shortage. Firestone had considerable storage facilities, which would enable production to continue for some time, but if the strike was prolonged, motorists could face a critical shortage.

Other rubber factories in Christchurch could have their production hampered by consignments of raw materials arriving at Lyttelton and not being able to reach the manufacturers.

In some cases there were good stocks of synthetic and natural rubber, but such stocks would be of little use if the necessary chemical substances powders and liquids—were not available for processing. Major transport companies have sufficient spare tyres in stock for their trucks to outlast a strike of considerable length. The National Airways Corporation had been able to meet the demand for both passengers and air freight, said the Christchurch manager (Mr J. E. Davies) yesterday. Although not always able to get on the flight of their choice, passengers were able to travel on the day of request. The increase in freight had not been considerable.

To ensure that the southern half of the South Island

would have fresh bread daily, the Railway Tradesmen’s Association yesterday granted a special dispensation for the transport of yeast in a Railways Department vehicle to all main centres south of Christchurch.

Permission was given by the Addington branch of the association for a Railways Road Transport truck to take 60001 b of yeast from Christchurch each week, to all main centres on the way to Invercargill. But at 5 p.m. yesterday a message was received by Mr R. A. Beveridge, accountant to the Dominion Yeast Company, that the vehicle was not to be used. Mr Beveridge said the message came from the head office of the Railways Department in Wellington. Questioned by a reporter, a spokesman for the department, Mr J. D. Mcßiyde, said that the dispensation was “against Government policy.” “We will see the yeast goes down,” said Mr Beveridge. “We can hire a rental van and get the executive staff to drive it.”

Mr A. M. Levy, chairman of the Addington branch of

the R.T.A., said all the yeast for the South Island came from Christchurch. The association had decided to grant the special dispensation for yeast to enable the public to have fresh bread and to enable institutions such as hospitals to obtain adequate supplies of yeast. The special yeast truck was to have been driven by an Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants driver from the Canterbury branch motor pool. The Canterbury and Addington branches of the A.S.R.S. both agreed to the dispensation. CASKS OF PELTS

Another dispensation was granted yesterday, for public health reasons.

The district traffic manager of railways (Mr M. R. Leineweber) said both the R.T.A. and A.S.R.S. had agreed to let a lorry go to Kaikoura to bring back some casks of pelts which were deteriorating rapidly. Stranded by the strike, at Kaikoura, the pelts were on their way from .Picton works of the New Zealand Refrigerating Company, Ltd., to the Islington works. Mr Leineweber said the two railways organisations had granted this dispensation for health reasons. The pelts would have quickly become malodorous had they been left at Kaikoura any longer.