THE PETROL FAMINE.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXXIII, Issue 15921, 6 May 1912, Page 8

THE PETROL FAMINE.

MOTOR FUEL 40s PER CASE.

I Nothing has changed in connection with tho petrol famine except tho ' quantity of the motor fuel available, which has decreased, and the price of I tho spirit, which has increased. The lowest price quoted is 4Ps, but some firms are obtaining 455. , A few pars have been laid up, but the number of cars has not changed appreciably. Ono of the difficulties of the position is the amatour financier, who has been operating in petrol. A . number of private people who received information of tho approaching shortage a. week or so ago, invested in petrol, buying for a rise. Theso amateur manipulators are now holding for greater profits. "AN ABSURD RUSH." NO REAL SHORTAGE. [Pbr Press Association.] WELLINGTON, May 4. Mr Hamilton, manager of the Vacuum Oil Company here, characterises as absurd the rush made upon motor spirit. Ho says: "There is enough spirit in tho dominion to keep all the wheels go-' ing until June 15. Then there will lr a] slight shortage until the steamer ?.r- j rives on June 30 or July 1." He is refusing to fulfil obviously. inflated or- ] ders, and. is continuing to supply regu-1 lar quantities at ordinary prices. " Mo- j tor spirit boing Is 74d a 'gallon, if wo had listened to hot air tales," he added, "we could easily have made two or three thousand pounds last j week."

[Per Pbess Association.] ' , AUCKLAND, May 5. In connection with the petrol famine it was ascertained locally that tho steamer Hohenfels, which arrived at Melbourne yesterday en route for Auckland, ha 3 5000 cases of petrol aboard for this port. The steamer AngloSaxon left New York on April 25 for Auckland, -Wellington, Lyttelton and Dunedin. She has 45,000 cases of oil on board for Auckland, including 18,000 cases of petrol, and a proportionate cargo for the southern ports named. She is due here on July 4.

WELLINGTON, May 4. The shortage of petrol* is not being felt nearly so severely in Wellington as it appears to bo in Christchurch, and it is stated that if people do not lose their heads there is no reason why the pinch in petrol should be more than merely temporary hero. One prominent local garage announces that it will supply benzine and motor spirits to regular customers only in formal quantities, and for their personal use only, at standard price. Other firms are putting up the price to 2s and 2s 3d a gallon for outsiders, while reserving quantities for regular clients at usual rates. The cause of the trouble is put down to pure scare, originating in Auckland, and people have bought and are buying as if for a coal famine. Inability on the part of regular steamers to take up oil-carrying charters is asserted by some to bo the source of the trouble, which thus starts from the coal strike, which laid up so much shipping in the Old Country. There is no real shortago now, but if the frenzied rush for petrol continues there may be. At present the Vacuum Oil Company'.s prices are:—Motor spirit. Is 7*d a gallon; and benzine Is 6id a gallon. Largely increased orders have to stand aside for the regular normal orders. PETROL PRODUCTION. Petrol, an abbreviation for petroleum spirit, is not a definite chemical compound. It is a mixture of various hydro-carbons of the paraffin and oiefino sories, produced from the distillation of petroleum and paraffin oils. In tho distillation of crude potroleum for the production of lamp.oils quantities of volatile spirit were obtained, the outlet for which, formerly, was email, as the spirit was mainly used for cleaning purposes. With tho introduction of the petrol motor this spirit came into demand, and, as the demand increased, the situation changed,.and the crude petroleum had to be distilled mainly for spirit, thus leaving a surplus of the heavier oils. The situation was largely met by a gradual conversion of the petrol consumers from spirit of .680 specific gravity to a epirit of .715 specific gravity, whilst for commercial motors even heavier grades were used. The quantity of .715 spirit obtainable from a, given quantity of crude oil is considerably greater than the quantity, of .680 that could be produced, so that a better balance has been effected. The- total quantity of motor spirit used in the United Kingdom in 1909 was 60,000,000 .gallons, of which about 'one-half came from the Dutch East Indies, whilst a third came from America. Roumania supplied about 6,000,000 gallons and Russia about 3,000,000 gallons. •