STATES MAY BE SHORT.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 16797, 22 July 1920, Page 6

STATES MAY BE SHORT.

PETROL SUPPLY AND PRICE. IMPORTING METHOD WASTEFUL. ■ BY TELEGRAPH. —OWN CORRESPONDENT. I AVELLINGTON, July 21. A request was made to tho Prime Minister by Mr. T, M. Wilford to have inquiries made with a view to ascertaining why it is that petrol is sold at such a high price in New Zealand. Mr. Wilford said that when ho arrived recently in California the price of petrol. was 23 cents a gallon and when he left it was 25 cents. At tho present rate of exchange this would make the price about Is. For commercial purposes alono it was very necessary that petrol should be obtainable hero at a reasonable price and something should be done to ascertain who was profiteering. He knew America used a groat deal of spirit herself, hut that was no reason for the prices being charged here. The Prime Minister said that the president of the Board of Trade could perhaps better answer the question, but ho was not in tho House. He would pass tho matter on to him. The Board of Trade had gone into the matter. but tiie trouble was they had never had sufficient supplies to carry on with, much less to enable them to set up a reserve. There was no question there was a shortage of petrol in America, in spite of tho price. He feared America might prohibit tho export altogether. Air. Vigor Brown: Could not tho Government bring it over here themselves?

Air. Alassey said they would have to encourage importation into New Zealand of petrol in every way possible. He referred to tho urgent need for it in the country ’districts, where it was used extensively in tho farming industry. He would have the matter thoroughly gone into. Air. Wilford said he had been informed that New Zealand’s method of buying petrol was to Some extent the reason for tho high price. If, instead of importing it in tins, it could be shipped out in bulk and stored hero and distributed in bulk, the cost would bo lower.