PETROL CONSUMERS

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXIII, 28 September 1940, Page 6

PETROL CONSUMERS

PETITION TO PARLIAMENT INCREASED ALLOWANCE URGED The following is a copy of the petition to Parliament which is being circulated among petrol consumers:— 1. That your petitioners are resident in New Zealand and are consumers of petrol in their capacity of users of motor vehicles. 2. That under the Oil Fuel Emergency Regulations 1939, power was given to control and restrict the use of petrol and other oil fuels. 3. That the restrictions imposed under those regulations have caused needless unemployment and dislocation to industry and commerce and are causing to remain partially idle and making ineffective an enormous productive investment in motor cars and trucks. 4. That these restrictions by imposing undue hardship and forcing unnecessary curtailment of the normal life and movement of all members of the community instead of helping our war effort are actually crippling our ability to render effective help. 5. That the petrol restrictions in New Zealand are more severe than those in force in Great Britain or than those proposed in Australia. 6. That no other British Dominion has so far imposed any restriction on the use of petrol. 7. That insofar as we can ascertain there is no restriction of petrol in any of the Crown Colonies, all of which are administered by the United Kingdom Government itself. 8. That there is a surplus of petrol throughout the world and so plentiful supplies of petrol are available for importation into New Zealand. There is adequate tanker tonnage available to transport all our requirements to New Zealand. 9. That your petitioners believe that the following amendments to the petrol rationing procedure are necessary: (a) The allowance for private users should be increased to the equivalent of 320 miles per month, i.e.: Motor cycles, 4 gallons; cars up to 9.5 h.p., 8 gallons; cars over 9.5 h.p. and up to 14.7 h.p., 12 gallons; cars over 14.7 h.p., 16 gallons (b) The allowance granted to taxis and other commercial users should be increased by the amounts necessary to approximate more closely their true needs (c) The right should be granted to all users to accumulate their coupons for a period of at least two months for vacations and other purposes. (d) Steps should be taken to ensure stability of rationing policy for a minimum period of six months.

10. That the foregoing scale of allowances can be encompassed within a total usage of 7,000,000 gallons of petrol per month which represents a very substantial reduction from normal consumption.

11. That .your Honourable House will be pleased to recommend that effect be forthwith given to the foregoing procedures and scale of allowances.