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Incorrect Excise Forms for the Return of Duty on Petrol.

31st August 1916
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Page 1, 31st August 1916 — Incorrect Excise Forms for the Return of Duty on Petrol.
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

There is plenty of evidence that some commercial users are still in doubt as to their rights in respect of the authorized rebate on petrol upon which duty has been paid. We refer to the return to them of half the duty of 6d. per. gallon, to which rate this impost on road transport was raised last September. No commercial user is supposed to obtain petcol which has paid the extra duty of 6d. per gallon (making is. in all), for which extra the Chancellor of the Exchequer was recently responsible, and which additional levy is demanded by the Petrol Control Committee before any petrol licence is issued to a private user. The legal position is, that 3d. is due back out of the 6d.—"extra duty" not arising.

The writer was lately responsible for urging the General Committee of the Commercial Motor Users Association to make representations on this matter to the Board of Customs and Excise. It is nothing less than a scandal, we think, that hundreds of forms should be issued weekly on which the old figure of " lid." remains in print unaltered, thereby inviting confusion to the disadvantage of the consumer. Economy of stationery may be worthy of encouragemerit in Government Departments, but there is a point at which even that excuse must not be pleaded in catenuetiori of the perpetuation of an inaccuracy. We make every allowance for the shortage of clerical staffs which are at the disposal of local surveyors of Excise, but we cannot believe that the impressing of " by means of a rubber stamp is beyond the range of possibilities. We consider that the existing petrol-rebate forma should either be Corrected to read "3d." per gallon, in Place of "id" per gallon, or that they should be cancelled.

We understand that the present view of the Board -of Customs and Excise is that the "1d." forms must be exhausted, and that the change to "3d." cannot be made until new ones are printed. That position, we' repeat, is an unsatisfactory one. We trust. that the Board will see its way, when next issuing any, circular letter, of instructions to its surveyors of Excise, to include a direction that this misleading inaccuracy shall be corrected forthwith, so long as the form is not reprinted. The evil of the situation is this when, consumers apply at the old rate of lid. per gallon, for the return of money which • is duel() them, they are not told by all Excise officers that they are entitled to 160 per cent. more. That state of affairs is indefensible. The Exportation of Petrol : Paraffin Mixtures. in Use Overseas.

We have lately been in communication with the War Trade Department, the offices of which are at 4, Central Buildings; Westminster, S.W. Concerning the right to export petrol to British Colonies. Several of our Overseas subscribers had. coMmunicated with us as to their position, haying regard to the establishment of the Petrol Control Committee, end it ac3ordingly devolved upon us to look into the matter. The petrol stringency has in some degree affected most Overseas user.

It will no doubt interest many of our Overseas readers to hear that, provided the necessary Customs formalities are complied with, petrol may be exported from the UK. to' British Colonies without a licence. The exports, of course, are not likely to be very high ; something well below 600,000 gallons per annum is found to be the maximum volume, although Overseas demands fluctuate in relation to war-time changes in the respective areas of consumption which we have in mind. Furthermore, of course, many of the British Colonies still obtain their supplies direct from petrol-producing countries, and not via England.

We have found several of our Overseas inquiries anent the export of petrol from the United Kingdom to be accompanied bi inquiries about the successful employment of paraffin, and as to the essential adaptations which have to be made before the fuel can be employed. Three of our inquiries, as the dates of mailing Show, were despatched before our series of articles on "Two-fuel Carburetters and Fittings " had reached the senders. That series will itself -have answered the main inquiries, but one point does remain to be considered. It is the question of higher atmospheric temperatures in particular Colonies, as compared with the usual temperatUre range in the United Kingdom. Those higher Overseas temperatures, whilst their general effect upon heat relationships qua internal-combustion engines is less than is commonly supposed, cannot fail to facilitate the use of paraffin, in BO far as they have any, effect at all. There will not, for example, be the cold-night factor to be overcome by a little extra attention in starting up the next morning, as there will 'undoubtedly be during the coming winter, in.the r nited Kingdom. The possibilities with paraffin, mixed to the extent of, on the average, half-and-half with petrol, should undoubtedly prove an attraction to many Overseas B17 consumers, at a time when petrol prices and supplies are unfavourably influenced from the consumer's point of view. Overseas readers of THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR will find it quite practicable to mix paraffin with petrol—so long' as the' do not purchase the best or refined burning oils—without material alteration to their carburetters. The higher specific gravity of any such mixed fuel may render it necessary to increase the weight of the float, in order that the delivery at the jet-orifice may not be too ?tee; that is a matter for indiviflual attention in each case. We only recommend adjustment of this kind where the difference in level, due to the greater density of the mixed fuel, is such as obviously to. lead to overflowing at the jet, or, as we have stated, to too free delivery while working. It is frequently found, in practice, that no adjustment whatsoever is required, owing to compensating requirements peculiar to paraffin, which fuel does not issue from the jet quite so easily as petrol does, whilst it,inherently requires more suction, or its eqni valent.

Our Overseas readers will certainly do well, seeing that the petrol shortage—in so far as it is affected by shipping difficulties—is world-wide, to order from British makers one or more of the available two-fuel carburetters. The relief which they can thus obtain will not be limited to the period of the war.

Abuse of the Plea of Munitions Necessity.

We have lately had opportunities of considering the position of not a few supporters of this journal, as regards the effects upon them of the intemperate exercise of compulsory powers which exist as pant of war legislation. The disturbance of-existing business interests, to the end that the war shall be prosecuted with the utmost degree of efficiency, must be accepted without demur, but those business interests are clearly entitled to be satisfied that the prosecution of the war is the true motive. The inconveniencing of trading interests, when simpler and lessdamaging alternatives may be proved to exist, cannot be the best way of conducting affairs, because it is clearly better that all industry should coiltinue to "carry one' to the best advantage.

We have been particularly informed of a couple of typical cases. One of these affects a block of offices in a well-known London thoroughfare, where abnormal upset was caused, by clearing out several important tenants, at least two of whom were engaged upon war service, in order that particular suites of offices might be extended, the occupants of those offices also being engaged upon war service. The hardship in this case arose from the fact that a new block of offices, not a hundred yards away, was available for the purposes in view—to get everything under the one roof. It looks as though some junior official thought that a particular plan was right-the one which would be the line of least resistance for his own associates, and which would both look well and cause his branch least trouble; the maximum amount of disturbance was, for these insufficient r.-tasons, thrown upon other people, by turning them out. They went, saying little, but not without a grievance.

The secoiid case concerns a transport depot. It is a new -depot, and one that was used in connection with important foodstuff distribution. Its owner, unfortunately for himself, happened to have acquired and converted premises which were adjacent to-a particular munition works, but not one that was engaged upon the manufacture of explosives, or upon work of a class which might not well have been done at a distance. The influence of the traders who were associated with this particular munitions works was such that they not only entered our motortransport friend's premises and began to erect their own fittings before any agreement had been reached, thereby trespassing, but went so far that it enabled them, primarily for their own convenience, grievously to dislocate the occupier's arrangements. There %-ere alternatives of equal national value.

There may be awkward incidents, and some of these not unconnected with trade jealousies, during war time. Some of those difficulties might possibly be reduced, were it only part of the nature of the Government officials—often vested with but temporary authority—who take action to give sufficient information, in order both to convert and convince the disturbed individuals. No course, however, seems to be further from their thoughts; they merek, communicate the decisions which they have themselves been able to arrange, and take their stand upon the legislation under which they for the present live, move and have their being. The civilian expects to come last, in relation to the requirements of the Crown, but there is no reason why particular civinns should be irrevocably prejudiced for the benefit of other particular civilians. " Kissing " still goes by favour, but this class of behaviour brings in its train all the usual penalties of injustice.

We wish that we were at liberty to write more specifically, anent happenings of the foregoing character, but we have good reasons for believing that not a few of our readers will, on account of their own bitter experiences, find that we touch a sympathetic chord in them. It remains only, therefore, for us to add that neither of the examples of disturbance to which we refer in any way affects this journal or its associated journals. We have voiced, of necessity with caution, the poignant cry of two commercial houses whose principals, themselves large taxpayers and loyal Englishmen, have suffered unduly through the absence of that just degree of official consideration which they were entitled to expect. Both of them are large users of commercial motors, and that fact accounts for our interest in their treatment.


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