CHARGE RESENTED

Evening Star, Issue 25172, 11 May 1944, Page 5

CHARGE RESENTED

PETROL LICENSE ABUSE COMMERCIAL MEN'S VIEW (Special.) WELLINGTON, May 11. Resentment at the direct,, and indirect insinuations of against all commercial petrol license holders made in certain quarters recently was expressed yesterday by Mr D. I. Macdonald, secretary of the New Zealand Manufacturers' Federation. " Manufacturing industry represents a large section of the Commercial petrol license holders," he said," and to suggest that they, as individual motorists, are abusing their privileges as -license holders is tantamount to suggesting that Ithey are out to sabotage their own "war effort. V. While agreeing that it-was 1 a failing of human .nature for a small, un. principled section, of any body of license holders to take advantage of a position of trust, Mr Macdonald considered it unfair that a general stigma of petty dishonesty should fall on that large body of license holders represented by tho commercial community. As persons "who hadturned over un. hesitatingly from civilian .to war production, in many cases at no small sacrifice, manufacturers felt that the implication of the recent propaganda was- both unwarranted and unjustified. .-■ .; "It is not conceivable," declared Mr

Macdonald, "that manufacturers who in hundreds of cases" ; have largely abandoned - s their normal civilian business for the duration to get solidly down to the job of. munitions and other war and essential manufacture should then stoop to the abuse of licensed petrol supplies. Such a suggestion is absurd in the extreme, end, while sympathising with the case made out for the private motorist,! would suggest that* some explicit qualification should be made when an attack is launched against commercial license holders."

Recalling the steps that had led up to the granting of petrol under license for com. nsercial ■ use, Mr Macdonald said that manufacturers, along with other motorists, had accepted heavy cuts in their supplies, although -experience J had shown that war production had increased demand in the case of many firms, TJiey then went ahead to make the best possible industrial use of their allowances. They accepted petrol rationing in the same way ,as they accepted other controls where they realised such. were a necessary though irritating prerequisite to the Successful prosecution of the war.

For any responsible body to now turn ".- around and suggest that the very petrol allowed for the production of essential war supplies wis being used for joy riding was equivalent to accusing a soldier on active service of using his bullets for fishing sinkers. Those who had made major monetary and trade sacrifices in order to make the fullest contribution to the national effort were unlikely to prejudice their own effort by such ■• actions. - " If the motoring interests wish to pres* their charge against commercial license holders as a body they should do so fairly ( and through "the official channels," said Mr Macdonald. " The Oil Fuel Controller and the Transport, Department have full information regarding- commercial licenses, and through these officers and a series of local advisory committees representative of the main sections of petrol users, within the community the position, is well controlled. Abuses should be eliminated and the cul- / prits penalised..'.' This task falls in the first instance.on the Oil Fuel Controller and his officers, who have done a thankless ttfsk efficiently and well and in ft co-operative spirit. For the,rest little would be gained by playing the position of one. section of petrol users against another.'' •