RUSH OF BUYERS

New Zealand Herald, Volume 82, Issue 25216, 31 May 1945, Page 4

RUSH OF BUYERS

CANDLES : KEROSENE

DEMAND FOR SMALL STOVES . Grocers reported yesterday that there had been an unprecedented demand for candles in the past two days by housewives preparing for further interruptions of the power supply. Stocks are ample to meet the present emergency. A number of people, who were forced to use their ornamental candles during recent failures, were busy buying ordinary candles and replacements of the fancy types.

Kerosene for lamps and stoves was keenly sought yesterday, although to a lesser extent than the candles. This commodity is also available in reasonably large quantities. Owing to the practice of some wholesalers selling kerosene only in 40-gallon drums, a few grocers with premises too small to store such a large amount have been unable to supply their customers. Other wholesalers, however, are supplying the kerosene in bottles.

The demand for small oil or wood and coal stoves, already made keen by the protracted gas shortages, has increased this week. Now that power has come within the "shortage" category, buyers are no longer interested in the diminished supply of small electric stoves and heaters.

One large hardware shop, which had sold out of oil stoves yesterday, has had a steady stream of customers all the week. Where it had previously sold one stove a month, it was now selling four a day. The shop was still selling small wood and coal stoves yesterday. Another large establishment still had a good supply of all types of small stoves and had not met with a great rush.