Complex sentence: Only a few professional people like doctors had cars or phones, and petrol was rationed, so it was difficult to assemble the coroner, his staff and a twelve-man jury for so many inquests along 200 km of coastline.
Split into simpler sentences: Only a few professional people like doctors had cars, and petrol was rationed. So it was difficult to assemble the coroner, his staff and a twelve-man jury for so many inquests along 200 km of coastline.