DEMAND FOR TINS

Manawatu Standard, Volume LX, Issue 263, 4 October 1940, Page 5

DEMAND FOR TINS

CHANGED DAYS

A decade or two ago, before the advent of the now common petrol pump, petrol and kerosene tins were numerous enough to become a nuisance, and thousands of good tins were dumped on rubbish heaps, on tho sides of roads, in sheds and other places. Many used tins were made into coal scuttles, buckets, hen-houses, and had a host of other uses. There was no dearth of them such as there is to-day, and a story is told by one mercantile firm’s employee of schemes put into effect to get rid of the tins. When a customer wanted to buy petrol cases the firm used to supply them, but not without the empty tins. In fact, the cases were not sold unless the tins went with the order. To-day the position is much changed, for not only is it difficult to get petrol, but very, difficult to get tins. Such tins bring as much as two shillings. each. It is understood that case benzine comes to the Dominion from America and the shipping freights cause the price of petrol in eases to be higher. The adoption of the pump system came about, in order to save shipping costs, and it can readily be understood that the tanker can bring motor spirit in larger quantities than a ship required j to bring it to New Zealand in case lots. There was also the question of storage to be considered as the motor trade grew, and the bowser system i has eliminated much of the danger ol fire in stores of inflammable 'fuel.