Few applications for petrol permits

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33456, 11 February 1974, Page 1

Few applications for petrol permits

Christchurch police issued eight permits to people requiring petrol after service stations closed on Saturday. About 20 inquiries, in person and by telephone, were received by the police for the permits.

On Saturday morning, before the ban, many service stations did brisker than usual business, one of them reporting three times as many customers as normal.

At Blue .Star Taxis,, the only station allowed to sell petrol after mid-day on Saturday, a customer arrived with a half-gallon jar to be filled with petrol. When his’request was refused he lay in front of his car and refused to move. After a short argument he was persuaded to go. The Transport Department said traffic yesterday in the city and on surrounding roads was slightly lighter than usual.

: Wellington police said I i they were -relieved over the public’s reaction to the ban. ' A spokesman said that 1 they had been dreading havi ing to administer the allocation of petrol for emergency . purposes. ; “We thought we’d be the big bad wolves having to ■ say no to everybody,” he said. “But hardly anybody t has come along wanting > emergency supplies.” j By early last night police i 1 stations in the Wellington; area had granted emergency! - petrol permits to 16 people. I One blanket permit was; granted by Lower Huttj police to a fleet of cars. They belonged to a security firm which had not made ar-1 rangements for petrol. ' The police have a con-| Ifidential set of guidelines for! !determining who should be! I exempt from the week-end!

ban. “But we’re questioning every applicant very extensively,” said a spokesman for the Wellington central station. "If there is an alI ternative form of transport ! available then we do not jgrant the permit.” i One permit application which was declined was, from an overseas tourist: “who had hopped in his car: I at the airport and driven till ' he ran out of fuel and then; wondered why he couldn’t' fill up.” Even at Waiouru—one of; the most isolated spots in. ithe North Island—police; issued only one permit. That! was to a motorist driving toj a funeral in Hamilton. I The Minister of Maori;

Affairs (Mr Rata) was; caught napping in Kaikohe. Mr Rata left Auckland at 5 a.m. to attend a tangi ini Kaikohe for a Ngapuhi chief, i Eru Moka Pou, who died on Friday night. 1 After the 160 mile drive, Mr Rata's chauffeur found '■ that the big ministerial car, had not enough fuel left for ■ the return journey. A police permit was issued for an emergency ! supply, but the chauffeur ) was eventually able to top ! the car’s tank up from a ' Government Department ; source — understood to be a (Post Office vehicle depot. | Mr Rata said tonight he ‘ was reluctant to be one of ’ithe first to have to draw on | emergency supplies during ;‘the fuel crisis but added that Jhe had an early morning . | flight to catch in Auckland ■;and could not risk running • | out of petrol. | The Minister was one of 115 people in Kaikohe who I successfully applied for (police petrol permits to buy,' ! petrol in order to attend the i tangi.