PETROL COUPON TRANSFERS

Greymouth Evening Star, 13 November 1942, Page 2

PETROL COUPON TRANSFERS

PRACTICE NOT ILLEGAL

CHRISTCHURCH, November 12. “If it had been the intention of the Legislature to prohibit the transfer of coupons, that could have been done at any time by an appropriate amendment to the regulations; said Mr. 1. F. Reid. S.M.. in the Magistrate s Court to-day. when he gave a reserved judgment in a case involving the transfer of petrol coupons. He supported the opinion of a North Island magistrate that coupons were transferable, and dismissed the information against Charles Greenslade, who was charged with making unauthorised purchases of 40 gallons of petrol between Mav 13 and September 25. When the case was heard on November 9, Greenslade stated in evidence that the petrol had been purchased with coupons given to him by customers of the Edgeware service station at which he was an attendant. The Magistrate said that the real question at issue was whether or not coupons issued under the Oil Fuel Emergency Regulations were transferable. This question had already been the subject of a decision in the Magistrate’s Court at New Plymouth by Mr. W. H. Woodward, S.M., who held That in his opinion coupons were transferable. This decision was given oh July 16. and apparently no steps had been taken to question its validity. ‘ “It is common knowledge that ever since the coupon system became operative—that is to say, over a period of three years—coupons have already been regarded by motorists and by the motor trade as transferable,” continued the Magistrate. “So far as the reported cases go, this is only the second prosecution of this nature where the prosecution relies upon the proposition that such coupons are not transferable. The defendant here purchased oil fuel which was purchased for his own consumption and he purchased it under coupons issued under the regulations authorising such purchase and sale. I can read nothing more into Clause 34 of the regulations than a plain authority to any person holding a coupon to purchase oil lued for his own consumption. “During the hearing I was informed, and I believe it to be the case, that in Australia coupons are printed on their face as ‘not transferable.’ In England coupons are issued to the owner of a motor-vehicle, and petrol obtained under them could only be put into the particular vehicle in respect of which they were issued. Had it been considered necessary or desirable to impose similar restrictions it would have been a simple matter to have imposed them by appropriate regulation prior to any one of the annual issue of coupons and to have made the necessary consequental alterations in the form of coupon. I am not prepared to read into these regulations by implication a restriction that could easily have been imposed in plain and simple language.” The Magistrate added that the prosecution had been found wanting in evidence. The records. oT the service station had been examined by the police, and were in order. Petrol could only have been obtained in three ways. These were by misuse of defendant’s commercial license, by fraudulently altering the records of the station or by means of coupons given to him. Although the amount of petrol seemed excessive the evidence for the prosecution left a doubt in the Court’s mind,. and therefore the information was dismissed.