CARAVAN TRAILERS

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 62, Issue 4378, 15 January 1941, Page 4

CARAVAN TRAILERS

LARGE NUMBER ON THE ROADS. VARYING FUEL SUPPLIES. A statement that there appeared to be a higher proportion of caravan trailers on the roads between Christmas and New Year than ever before was made by a Te Awamutu motorist who has returned from a visit to Rotorua and Taupo. The number of curs, he said, was of course less, but a large percentage of cars had trailer caravans in spite of the added petrol consumption represented by these vehicles. There appeared to be a queer contrast in the fuel resources of road users, he said. Many people were following a very restricted itinerary, and had taken every precaution to conserve petrol; in fact, a favourite subject of conversation in the motor camps and boarding houses was how best to use the fuel available. On the other hand, these, people were often astonished and frequently exasperated to find themselves side by side in motor camips with owners of large cars and caravans who apparently had ample fuel resources to take them anywhere they wished to go. One typical case was encountered at Taupo, where an elderly woman sat on a boardine-house verandah telb ing her companions how she and three friends—all car-owners—had pooled their coupons and had taken the smallest car of the four in which to share a holiday tour.

“ I don’t so much mind reading in the papers the result of speed-boat racing in the north,” she said, “ but it becomes rather irritating also to read an account of midget car racing in the same district. But the last straw is when we finish a day’s very crowded an drather uncomfortable run only to find ourselves sharing parking places or garage spaces with big imported cars trailing luxurious caravans behind them.”