ECONOMICS

Press, 8 December 1976, Page 36

ECONOMICS

In these days of financial stringency, it is warming to find a man with a proper sense of responsibility. We found one, a Christchurch chap, a few weeks ago who appreciated to the full that it was not in the national interest for him to fling his money about madly. He had to go to Wellington on some business or another; it might have been a wedding, if recollection serves. He was perturbed to discover that he would have to pay $??? ? to fly there and back, and he reckoned it was much better thinking to take his car, leave it at Picton, go over by boat, and come back by the same route. In his

cunning, astute businses way, he reckoned he could reckon on his petrol costing him about $2O and his boat fares only about $lO, a total of $3O. Well, he drove off to Picton all right, but according to the best advice we can obtain from our hard-headed business friends, it costs about 17c a mile to run a car of this particular type, taking everything into account. So we reckon he had overspent his allowance by some $7.40 by the time he got to Picton. Everything after that put him further in the red.

He had not taken into account, for instance, that there might be some sort of . seamen's strike on about the time he wanted

to return from Wellington. There was no boat for him; he had to fly to Nelson. That cost him $l9. There he was at Nelson, and his car was at Picton. He was by now desperately short of time. It was a taxi to Picton for him, and that cost plenty. After that, he had to drive all the way home again, at what we estimate to be $37.40. At a rough estimate, his costs to there were about $125. And there was another additional expense on which he had not reckoned. He was, as we said, short of time. He was caught speeding on the way south. The fine? Only $7O.