“PETROL WASTED”

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22445, 27 September 1947, Page 6

“PETROL WASTED”

PROTEST MADE GOVERNMENT VEHICLES MOTORISTS’ OPINIONS (P.A.) CHRISTCHURCH, Sept. 27. 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 and a proposal was made that should the required saving not be made, the allocation to the petrol companies should be cut and control exercised through the retailers before resorting to the wartime rationing system. Representatives of the North Island Motor Union said they believed that their associations would support this attitude. Strong Resentment When the subject was opened the meeting exressed strong resentment at the remarks of Mr. C. H. Williams at the 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-to-Britain Committee. Reference was then made to reports that three separate Government cars had recently taken four Government representatives from Wllington to Ruatoria and that large buses had travelled empty to Gisborne to pick up passengers from the train for the rest of the journey. There was fairly general criticism that Government departments were guilty of wasting petrol through inefficient organisation. Commercial Reductions

Other delegates said it was unfair to suggest that the private motorist should carry the whole burden if rationing was introduced. jVluch* pould be done to reduce the consumption by commercial users. It was also considered that unwarranted numbers of tourist trips were being run by big buses consider ing the need to save petrol. A suggestion was made that the distr rict quotas might be published, as dur-. ing the power l shortage, so that consumption could be governed volunr tarily. It was finally agreed that u voluntary conservation failed, the system in. vogue immediately after rationing was lifted under which control was exer r cised through the wholesalers, should be again introduced in preference to rationing.