N.Z. SERVICE STATIONS

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31864, 17 December 1968, Page 6

N.Z. SERVICE STATIONS

The growth of self-service was a major feature in automotive servicing overseas. and although New Zealand might be slow to follow suit, the advantages of the self-service concept were sooner or later bound to compel the trade to modify it's trading habits, says an editorial in the latest issue of “Motorspecs Review.” Petrol self-service in Britain initially came up against insurance difficulties, where local authorities were understandably concerned about fire risks. But the development of a delivery nozzle which cut off the petrol flow before the tank could over' flow finally overcame the objections, the article says. There were two types of self-service in Britain: a slotmachine system, and a system in which an attendant controls the pumps from a central kiosk. The impetus towards this 1 kind of self-service was originally the need to try to provide an out of normal hours emergency service for motorists. The demand for such a service would not normally justify paying wages to staff. However, the introduction of self-service facilities had stimulated demand and motorists were acquiring new buying habits. In Germany there were 2500 self-service pumps beside arterial roads, and motorists could get petrol and oil at all hours.