About Three Minutes Required To Reregister Motor-Vehicle

Press, Volume XCIII, Issue 27987, 6 June 1956, Page 14

About Three Minutes Required To Reregister Motor-Vehicle

Although queues at 'the motor registration branch in Christchurch yesterday were seldom long, ana motor-vehicle owners had to wait 2 n * a short time, 1000 registrations—about the same number as on the first day on Friday—were made. Only 590 vehicles were registered on the second day last year; and the increase of 410 represented by yesterday’s total was the same as that for Friday. “If we keep on like this, the usual rush at the end of the month may be avoided,” said the deputy-registrar (Mr J. Davison) when he gave these figures last evening. With 200 returns in from country districts, registrations in the Christchurch area for the two days totalled 2240, he said. Mr Davison and his staff have found that the average time taken to complete a transaction at the counter has been three minutes. The work of

clerks at the counters has been cut to a minimum to save time for motor owners. The clerks merely take the money, fi,ll in a receipt, and hand out the new plates. But each of the 25 -clerks from other branches of the Post Office has the support of a temporary woman casual worker who writes up the records. Mr Davison appealed to owners to make sure that their forms were correctly and completely filled in, so that they would not cause the branch and themselves extra delays. . Classification Changes There - are some changes in the classifications for registration this year. Doctors, veterinary surgeons, accountants, and others - *who use their motor-cars for. business purposes—calling on patients or clients—have had them classified as “business,” with a corresponding increase in the insurance rate.

The distinction is at times a fine one. If a builder uses his car to travel to his job. it has a private classification, but if he has several jobs, and

uses it to trivel tram one job to another it comes under the business heading. The cars of hospital boards, charitable or benevolent institutions, and trade unions are still included under the old classification. The term power-cycle now covers “pedal bicycles and pedal tricycles which are equipped with an engine not exceeding 60 c.c.” Power-cycles of higher capacity are still classed as motor-cycles. All "L” class vehicles—light trucks, station waggons, etc. —are required now to show the manufacturer’s gross laden weight on their application forms. Previously they had to show the weight of the vehicle plus capacity weight. Where the information is not known to the owner, he can ascertain it from the local agent for the vehicles or from the Transport Department. The new plates being issued this year start with the lowest number. 10-001, in Whangarei. The numbers increase on the way south and the closing one is 410,000, which will be issued in Invercargill. The range of numbers of the plates which will be issued in the Christchurch district, which stretchea from Kaikoura to Hinds, is: cars. 298,001 to 350.000; light vans, 51-901 to 58.400; heavy traffic, 56,601 to 63.600; motorcycles. 45.601 to 52,100. The numbers in the other main centres are: Auckland. 23.001 to 101.000; Wellington, 240.001 to 280,000; Dunedin, 365,001 to 390.000.

Amounts for registration are as follows: private cars, £5 5s Bd; business cars, £5 19s 6d; trucks, “L” plates, £7 13s 6d; trucks, ”H’’ plates, £8 13s 6d; one-axle trailer. £1 15s 9d; motorcycles, £4 6s 9d; power-cycles, £1 Ils 9d.

Vehicles can be relicensed by post The owner is required to send the appropriate forms and the correct amount to the motor registration branch. Delivery of the plates in these cases will be made by the Post Office at no extra cost