Petrol Panic Drains Pumps

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32322, 13 June 1970, Page 12

Petrol Panic Drains Pumps

Panic buying exhausted petrol stocks in many Christchurch service stations by midafternoon yesterday as motorists swarmed to fill up tc avert the consequences of the tanker drivers’ stoppage of deliveries.

Petrol station managers said that conditions became chaotic soon after 11 a.m.’ yesterday and, by noon, vehicle • queues up to a quarter of a mile long were reported at several stations. His pumps could normally handle eight cars at a time, but they were queued up 20 at'a time, said Mr M. Mclver, who has a big service station on the Main North Road. Between noon and 2.30 p.m., he estimated, 300 customers were served. Several smaller bowser stations had run out of petrol when “The Press" telephoned their managers after 2.30 p.m. “There are probably lots of others in the same boat,” said one manager. “The oil companies service us on Fridays for the weekend, and we do not get another fill until Tuesday.”

SOON GONE Housewives were rung by , their husbands from the office with instructions to fill the tank. One motorist tried three bowsers before he was able to fill on super-grade. One city bowser, which is open 24 hours a day, had expected 5000 gallons of supergrade this morning. This petrol did not arrive, and remaining stocks were sold by 11.30 a.m.

Some suburban petrol

stations early refused to supply other than regular customers, and late yesterday were rationing regular customers to their normal order. Heated arguments developed as strangers, after waiting up to half an hour in a queue, were turned away. At the Fendaiton Service Station, the manager, Mr R. D. Levy, said his stock of 2700 gallons of super-grade was about exhausted by 2.30 p.m.

He did not have time for lunch. No Cans Mr R. A. Britton, of the Waimairi Road Service Station, said he had stopped giving motorists more than $2 worth of petrol, and would not fill cans.

“Cars are double-lined right down the street,” said Mr P. Rhodes, of A. C. Rhodes, Ltd, Riccarton Road. “Our switchboard has been jammed with

calls from people asking us to hold stocks for them, but we can't do that.” Both Lyttelton service stations on Norwich Quay expect to be out of petrol stocks by this morning. To conserve supplies in Rangiora for local customers, the usual roster service would not be provided by motor garages this week-end, said Mr C. King of Horrells Harvester Service, Ltd, the firm which normally would have provided the service. The Southbrook Service Station, near Rangiora, intends to provide its normal week-end service. “No cans will be filled, however, and we will only put petrol in the tanks of vehicles”, said the proprietor, Mr I. W. Jarman, yesterday afternoon. “Provided people don’t panic I think we will get through.”