PETROL OF BENZINE?

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 21671, 24 March 1945, Page 4

PETROL OF BENZINE?

If a motorist in Gisborne and doubtless some other parts of the North Island were offered a few gallons of benzine as either a gift or an article for sale he would rejoice ancl begin to wonder how much extra mileage he could coax out of his car without having to part with his own coupons. If the offer were made in the South Island—certainly south of the Waitaki —the beneficiary, unless he happened to be well versed in the northern vernacular, would look puzzled and perhaps ask why so much liquid was necessary to remove the stains from his old suit. The question as to whether high grade motor fuel should be known as petrol or benzine is of no great consequence as long as a person is fully aware of what he wants and We introduce the subject as a matter of slight interest ancl a change from the heavier topics of the day.

Sticklers for accuracy will maintain that petrol has come to be the universal term, accepted by official circles in British countries, by the fighting services and by most civilian communities. In the early days of motor cars and motor launches the designation benzine was fairly common in New Zealand and it is apparent that in some districts it is lingering longer than it should. With variations that make no difference to the fundamental definition, the dictionaries of to-day assign to benzine its rightful function of being an aromatic hydrocarbon used for removing grease stains, whereas petrol is the refined petroleum as used in motor cars. Petrol (often called gasoline or “gas” in America) is beyond ail argument the stuff that makes the wheels go round.