PETROL FOR TAXIS

Evening Star, Issue 23973, 26 August 1941, Page 6

PETROL FOR TAXIS

WORST ANOMALIES RIGHTED SHORTAGE STILL ACUTE Subsequent to the publication in last night’s ‘ Star ’ of the point of view of the taxi drivers in regard to the petrol question, a new hearing has been given these men, and an additional allowance made. This is not over and above the amount allowed, which is stationary throughout New Zealand, but it removes the worst anomaly. Where the owner was driving, and not entering his hours on a time sheet, the car was, at the beginning of this month, rated as a singleshift car. This was rectified, but the time taken for investigation was subtracted from the amount. This morning representations that the car should be regarded as a double-shift car for the whole month received favourable consideration. Taxis will still bo scarce, but the edge has been taken off the shortage. And the drivers are satisfied, now that they have the allowance they are entitled to. Taxi owners were wrongly quoted yesterday in saying that a Transport Department car from Invercargill was up hero on Saturday with passengers. What they actually said was ‘‘ a car carrying Government number plates.” RENTAL CARS. The position of rental car companies is worse than that of the taxis, with the further gloomy addition ’that it is a chronic one. An allowance of 31 gallons for small cars and 56 for the big ones is made, arid since Christmas this has always been cut out by about the third week in the month. Rental cars are used by people who cannot afford a car of their own; people who, for patriotic or other reasons, have laid up their cars, soldiers on leave who have saved the expense of registering their cars or who have returned to this country for a week or two from such places as Fiji. Most of these cases deserve consideration, but in this case the allowance is fixed, and it is not likely to be reviewed.