MOTOR UNION SUPPORT FOR PETROL SAVING

Greymouth Evening Star, 27 September 1947, Page 9

MOTOR UNION SUPPORT FOR PETROL SAVING

(P-A.) CHRISTCHURCH, September 26

Full support, for all reasonable measures to conserve petrol in the ‘■‘Aid-to-Britain” campaign was promised at the annual conference of the South Island Motor Union in Christchurch today. A proposal was macle that, should the required saving not be made, the allocation to petrol companies should, be cut, and control bo exercised through the retailers before resorting to the wartime rationing system. Representatives of the North Island Motor Union said that they believed their associations would support this attitude.

The meeting expressed strong resentment at the remarks of Mr C. H. Williams at a publicity group meeting in Wellington about the campaign, when he was reported to have said that the petrol trade was convinced that there was little morality among motorists. It was decided to forward a protest to the Aid-for-Britain Committee. Reference was made to a report that three separate Government cars had recently taken four Government representatives from Wellington to Ruatoria, and that large buses had travelled empty to Gisborne to pick up passengers from a train for the rest ot the journey., There was fajrly general criticism that Government departments were guilty of wasting petrol through inefficient organisation.

Other delegates said that it was unfair to suggest that the private motorist should carry the whole burden. They said that if rationing was introduced much could be done to reduce consumption by commercial users.

It was also considered that unwarranted numbers of tourist trips were being run by big buses, considering the need to save petrol. A suggestion was made that the district quotas might be published as during the power shortage, so that the consumption could be governed voluntarily. It was finally agreed that, if voluntary’ conservation failed, the system in vogue immediately after rationing was lifted, under which control was exercised through wholesalers, should be again introduced in preference to rationing.