PETROL SHORTAGE.

Evening Post, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 108, 7 May 1912, Page 4

PETROL SHORTAGE.

POSITION IN CHRISTCHURCH. ABNORMAL PEMAND BY SPECULATORS. [BY TELEGRU'H — SPECIAL TO THE POST.] CHRISTCHURCH, This Day. The fact that thers was likely to be a shortage of supplies oi motor spirit in the Dominion seems to have been known some days ago by a. number of persons, mostly outside the motor business. It seems to have been quite unsuspected by the proprietors of some of the biggest garages in the city, who have, therefore, been taken unprepared.' Those people who had information that a shortage was imminent are said to have made large speculative purchases. 'It seems extremely probable that, had there been no rumour of a shortage of bupplies, the present inflation of prices woujd not have occurred so early, and might even have never occurred at^all. In short, the abnormal demand by speculators in view of a- possible shortage has removed so much motor spirit from tho* regular market that the shortage was made inevitable. The big motor firms are indignant that they were not informed of the possibility of delayed supplies when stlch information was available' to outsiders, but the local branch of the" Vacuum Oil Company retorts 'tliat' it, 'Was careful to give no information' tp ( - ajtrypne', 'aqd that in any case tile garage people should have been wide awake enough to know the position, of the market. A reporter this morning vi&ited tho principal garages in this city, with & view to ascertaining what supplies were available*, and what prices were being quoted.' In no case was a large supply reported, and the prices quoted were 40s and 30s per case. Two firms stated that they were supplying their own clients at the. lowest possible price for which they themselves could obtain delivery, and were buying no more petrol than waß absolutely necessary to fill their own and their clients' reasonable requirements. One of the principal taxicab proprietors said he could obtain sufficient petrol to keep his cabs in commission and supply clients. s Another firm stated that it had only supplies sufficient to keep running for' two days, but that it had no intention of paying fancy prices for petiol. The opinion was universally expressed that there was plenty of petrol in Christchurch, and that it would soon tome on to the market at a reasonable price, as no one was likely^ to pay famine prices when no real famine existed: A leading firm of importers stated it had. 1000 gallons arriving by the Mokoja available for delivery to-day at 40s per case retail. Others stated that they expected supplies within periods varying fiom a Aveek to four weeks.