CRITICS CRITICISED

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24421, 5 October 1940, Page 13

CRITICS CRITICISED

THE PETROL ALLOWANCES NEEDS OF THE AIR FORCE GOVERNMENT URGED TO TAKE ACTION (From Our Parliamentary Reporter) WELLINGTON, Oct. 4. Action by the Government against those responsible for statements criticising the petrol allowances was suggested by Mr E. P. Meachen (Govt., Marlborough) during the debate on war finance in the House of Representatives to-day The criticism, he added, was quite unjustified and dim cult to understand in view of the enormous quantity of petrol required for war purposes, particularly in the training of men for the Air Force A great deal of the criticism levelled at the Government on account of the petrol restrictions was apparently made without a knowledge of the correct state of affairs. Mr Meachen said The pelro] requirements for war purposes involved a heavy expenditure and that item was one of the most essential in war finance. Six gallons of petrol were required to run every 100 horsepower of aero engine for an hour, and 40 gallons were consumed in running a 600 horse-power machine Somemachines took almost that amount of petrol to warm up the engine before they were able to leave the ground In training men for the Air Force. Mr Meachen said, every endeavour was made to have the machines in the air as much as possible, and the benzine required was absolutely staggering. The Government was providing this essential training, and also attempting to build up reserves: and. in view of those circumstances, he could not understand the people who criticised the petrol-rationing scheme