E.P.S. CARS

Grey River Argus, 5 June 1942, Page 6

E.P.S. CARS

To be Kept Mobile

CHRISTCHURCH, June 4. He had not made any suggestion in his statement at the tyre meeting last Saturday, that E.P.S. and other cars, used for national service., wouia be immobilised, said the Minister of Transport (Mr. Semple) this morning, when criticising the remarks made at the meeting of the executive of the South Island Motor Union last night. E. P. S. and other cars had to be used in an emergency, and they would be kept mobile, declared the Minister, who added that what he had said on Saturday, was that in a few months there would be few cars used for pleasure-running left on the roads. “I regard it as unfortunate that the Minister should have made remarks in public, shortly before the Telicensing period, that it appeared that within a few months not many

private cars would be on the road/’ said the Chairman, Mr. W. R. Carey, at the S.I.M.U. meeting. The meeting endorsed the decision of the North Island Union to approach the Government to ascertain what supplies of oil fuel would be available for private motor vehicles in the next few months. “The statement I made on Saturday was clear, definite and specific, based upon facts that I gave to' the meeting, that I could not and would not publish,” siaid Mr. Semple, today. “The statement was made in reply to an intelligent question put to me, namely, did I think it a fair thing the Government should impose restrictions and hardships on owners of commercial vehicles that were doing the nation’s work, while hundreds of private motorists were running on the roads for pleasure. My reply was that as I saw the position, there would be very few of these cars on the road in a few months and, I had all the reasons in the world for making that statement.

••‘Private motorists jin this country will get no more tyres, and will i not even have 1 the right to retread I their tyres,’’ added the Minister, j “These measures have been agreed :upon for the sole purpose of preserving the tyres in the country for defence and the carrying on of the i country’s business. At present, the I maximum .amount of petrol for private cars is two gallons for big, and one gallon for small cars. This will |be reviewed at the end of the month | and it is a moral certainty they will (get no more. The indications are I they will get less,' if they get any. I did not suggest that cars to be used for E.P.S. purposes, or for other naj tionai service would be immobilised. There is a lot of difference between i these cars and cars used for pleaI sure.”

Mr. Semple added that E.P.S. and d~„vs for other national service, would be protected, as it was only natural to assume they had to be used in case of emergency, and would be kept mobile for that purpose.