Petrol-sale restrictions approved by Cabinet

Press, 25 August 1981, Page 1

Petrol-sale restrictions approved by Cabinet

Parliamentary reporter

Regulations to restrict the sale of petrol were approved by the Cabinet yesterday as a stand-by measure to be used if needed.

The regulations cover an extensive range of controls on the sale of petrol through five main measures which could be enforced singlv or in combination.

Although the regulations would not be gazetted until later this week, the Minister

of Energy (Mr Birch) outlined their provisions yester-

day afternoon. If they are enforced, the regulations could:

9 Limit petrol sales to the public from 6 a.m. on Mondays to 7 p.m. on Thursdays —' that is, no sales from Thursday - evening until the next Monday morning.

© Prohibit petrol sales on public holidays, including the evening before the holiday from 9 p.m.

9 Prohibit sales of petrol in containers other than fuel tanks attached to motorvehicles or boats.

© Limit the quantity of petrol sold in any one transaction to not less than $lO worth and not more than $2O worth.

® Limit petrol sales to vehicles with an even registration number on evennumbered days of the month and to vehicles with an. odd registration number on oddnumbered days of the month.

It would be possible to bring one or more of these measures into effect, either throughout New Zealand or regionally, at any time by Order-in-Council. should this

be necessary to cope with petrol supply.shortfalls, said Mr Birch.

He said that the regulations were a "precautionary measure" in case the Marsden Point refinery did not resume production as scheduled.

“Before they could come into effect, an Order-in-Coun-cil would need to be made by the Governor-General (Sir David Beattie)." he said.

Mr Birch said that although refinery workers were now back on the job, it would be another 10 days or so before petrol from Marsden Point began contributing to petrol stocks in the main ports.

The supply would be "touch and go" until September 7, when stocks would be down to eight days supply but should recover quickly after that.

He said that supplies were considered to be in trouble when they dropped to sufficient for only 15 days. Mr Birch said that the

Ministry of Energy was working with the oil companies to get supplies of refined petrol from abroad. These efforts were having some success, but stocks held regionally would remain “fragile" for some weeks until several of the special shipments had been delivered.

He repeated the need for co-operation from motorists to avoid any further decline in petrol supplies. All petrol buyers, including those who got their supply in bulk, should limit their purchases to immediate needs until stocks could be built up again, said Mr Birch. The regulations will be made in terms of the Petroleum Demand Restraint Act. 1981. which requires that they be laid before Parliament no later than 16 sitting days'after they were made, and be confirmed by an act of Parliament passed during the same session.