NO MORE PETROL

New Zealand Herald, Volume 78, Issue 24141, 6 December 1941, Page 10

NO MORE PETROL

THE HOME GUARD BLOW TO TRAINING COUNTRY MOST AFFECTED WAR CABINET DECISION A bombshell announcement calling in all petrol licences issued to members has been received. by every Home Guard headquarters in New Zealand. The licences have been used to transport guardsmen to and from parades and exercises which otherwise could not have been-held, and as a result of the new order, which it is understood is a decision by the' War Cabinet, all ordinary training parades of this type will have to be suspended. Country districts are most seriously affected. Faced with a cessation of practically the whole of their training programme, | Auckland district Home Guard' authorities made , strenuous efforts yesterday to. have the decision reviewed. Some hope was felt late in the day that a modification might be made to the order. The district director of the Home GuaTd, Colonel M. Aldred, said he was not permitted to make any statement, but he was very seriously perturbed about the whole position. Promise by Minister The Mayor, Mr. J. A. C. Allum, said he had been in touch with the Minister of Supply, the Hon. D. G. Sullivan, who had stated he would ask the War Cabinet to re-examine the question. As it was distributed from Wellington, the order said the Territorial Force, National Military Reserve and | Home Guard would be affected equally. However, it appears that the order applies only to licences on issue to private owners who have used their cars for the benefit of their defence units and not to Army vehicles. The Home Guard is the force principally affected because it has no Army vehicles for training purposes. It has apparently been informed that the order is the result of a decision that reduction in petrol consumption is urgently necessary this month, and the order is taken to be of a temporary nature, although its immediate effects upon training will be severe. Restricting Use Home Guard petrol allowances in the past seem to have fallen into two groups. The bulk of the petrol supplied has been for the purpose of enabling car-owners to take other guardsmen to parades. The rest has gone to certain administrative and commanding officers to permit them to carry out their essential travelling. The new order cancels altogether the first group and minimises the second In the past the Home Guard has co operated in requests to reduce petro applications. Petrol applications for th whole of the district, which almos covers the provincial boundaries, hav been reduced to a figure which prot ably would not exceed 1500 gallons i month. Curtailing Parades The guard has now been informei that petrol can be secured for only tw purposes. One is that battalion com manders may receive five gallons j month for training purposes; the othe is that special training arrangement may bo met by a petrol allowance if ap plication is made through a prescribe! channel. No petrol will be available fo normal week-day and week-end train ing. It is stated that the order will sto] training in most of the country dis tricts, where guardsmen have to trave much greater distances than in the cit; to attend parades. Two suggestion have been made to m%et the new posi tion. One is that fewer parades shoulc be held, but that each parade shouh be for a longer period, and the othe; is that training should be spread ove: a greater number of centres. WAIkATO FARMERS' PROTEST HORSE, RACING QUOTED (0.C.) HAMILTON, Friday The question whether petrol shouh be allowed for horse racing whih trainees of the Territorial and Honn Guard Forces were being refused allow ances to enable them to attend paradei was discussed at a meeting of th< Waikato branch of the Farmers' Unioi to-day. The following resolution was passed "That the executive of the Waikat< branch of the Farmers' Union consider: that it is not in the interests o national defence and security to refusi petrol for Home Guard and Territoria trainees to attend training centres." ISSUE TO THE PUBLIC NO EARLY CURTAILMENT "There is no truth in rumours thapetrol licences are to be cut out, O] drastically reduced," said the Minister o& Supply, the Hon. D. G. Sullivan, ii a telephone conversation with th< Herald from Wellington yesterday Reports circulating in Auckland tha-licence-holders were to have theii petrol allowances heavily reduced wer« referred to the Minister. "The present system petro is issued by means of licences anc coupons will continue, and rumours ii regard to the immediate cancellatior of licences should be entirely dis regarded," Mr. Sullivan continued. "0: course, if the situation in the Pacific should deteriorate the whole position ir regard to petrol consumption woulc have to be reviewed.