PETROL ECONOMY

Southland Times, Issue 24163, 27 June 1940, Page 12

PETROL ECONOMY

To The Editor

Sir, —Our Cabinet Ministers are repeatedly appealing to the motoring public to save petrol, but their appeals appear to fall on deaf ears so far as a number of our citizens are concerned. Quite a few of these persons are looked upon as leading citizens of the city, but their personal comfort evidently comes before their sacrifices. They motor to work in the morning, they motor home to lunch, they motor back to work from lunch, they motor home in the evening —that is the daily extent of their national effort. A big proportion of these drivers have cars in the big car class and it is hard to believe that they can do all this going to and from work as well as their other private running on their monthly ration of 12 gallons. A large number have, no doubt, obtained further supplies under licences—licences which are in most cases for quantities far in excess of what is required for the purposes for which the licences were issued.

A daily inspection of the city carparks and private business yards would probably reveal the same cars standing there every day and all day except during the lunch hours. All petrol licences should immediately be called in and very searching inquiries made concerning the actual business miles to be done before the licences are reissued. I feel sure that some very drastic cuts could be made without causing undue hardship and that the quantity of petrol saved every month would be considerable. By today’s issue of your paper I note that in a North Island centre two men were recently fairly heavily fined for using petrol for a purpose other than set out in their licences. A few similar prosecutions here would give our daily “motor home to lunch in comfort” patriots some just cause for concern. Most owners whose cars are registered for purely private purposes are doing .their best to play their part and usually work well within their respective rations. They are usually to be seen either walking, tramming or cycling to and from work. I hope that other pens more able than mine will take up this' matter with a view to putting a stop to this unnecessary petrol wastage.— Yours, etc., EX-DIGGER. June 25, 1940. To The Editor Sir, —The Minister of Supply recently stated that petrol licences would be looked into with a view to conserving petrol. A certain carrying company was recently refused a permit to back load its own petrol, which means that the bowser lorry has to take it up. This seems to be a waste of fuel. There are several saw mills which have lorries on the road every day. This is not necessary when we have a railway which can carry i the timber. The same could be said of some of the lamb carting. Farmers who are only a few miles from the rail should be compelled to send stock by rail. Farmers who cart chaff bn lorries and bring water to the mill with tractors and lorries should also be given a warning. Most of these jobs could be done with horses.—Yours, .etc., PATRIOTIC. June 25, 1940.