Last-minute run on petrol

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33514, 20 April 1974, Page 16

Last-minute run on petrol

Christchurch motorists, alerted by a radio news item, rushed petrol stations yesterday morning to “fill ’er up’’ before most of the pumps were turned off at midday.

A few service stations in the city which continued to sell petrol after noon were easily identified by the Overlengthening queues of cars outside them.

The decision to. close off! petrol sales, taken at a meeting of resellers at 10.30 a.m., will not affect other garage services, such as repairing punctures, greasing cars, or supplying oil. The Canterbury branch of the Retail Motor Trade Association, of which the reselers are members, said yesterday afternoon that the ban would last for an indeterminate period, and would be supported by all of the membership. Several of the Christchurch stations selling yesterday afternoon claimed they had not yet been informed of the ban officially, but as soon at titey were the pumps woulc be switched off. Others saic they knew of the ban, bul in defence to customers would not impose it unti’ later in the afternoon.

“We are still a little bit in the dark about it ali as the first we knew of the meeting was over the radio.” said the (general manager of one ofi

the city’s biggest vehicle and petrol selling firms. “We are in full sympathy with the aims of the ban, but until we have had a chance to sort it all out I am not prepared to

say whether or not we will be' closed on Monday.” he said.

[ In Lyttelton, the service [station proprietors held their I own meeting, and decided not to impose the ban until 5 p.m. yesterday, but to comply with the association’s reconrmendation from then. A member of “The Press” staff reported one sendee station in the north-western suburbs closing off its petrol pumps at noon, only to reopen again a few hours later as the queues built up outside his competitor’s premises just down the road. The proprietor of one sub-

urban garage was dismayed at the amount of good will ihe was losing in turning away customers, but determined not to sell petrol until something was done about ■the margin.

i “Many of my customers i have said ’Good' on you’ for !' locking the pumps — but Hthev were mainly the ones fiwith full tanks,” he said.