MOTOR VEHICLES

Evening Post, Volume CXXVII, Issue 18, 23 January 1939, Page 3

MOTOR VEHICLES

INCREASE OF 25,756

ALMOST 10 PER CENT.

MOTOR-CYCLES DOWN ■

With the exception of motor-cycles, -• of which there' were about 1400 fewer licensed for the road on December 31 as compared with the number „ for December, 1937, all molor-vehiclea were well up on the 1937 figures, ac- v cording to statistics compiled by the Registrar of N Motor Vehicles. In the grand total, 291,118, the increase just misses 10 per cent. The position is summarised thus:— X Percentage Number. Inciease. increasa. Cars 203,498 20,-144 11.1 Trucks 47,296 2366 5.26 Others 20,591 4,688' 27.08 Cycles 19,733 1,442* 6.8«^ . Totalk .... 291,118 25,736 5.7 ♦Decrease. The "others" include bu-os, service . cars, -and other public hire vehicle* , and road vehicles owned by Govern- •• ment and'local bodies, and show by -' far the greatest proportionate increase. ', Trucks and lorries have increased by 5 per cent., but probably the haulage capacity is considerably greater, - through the larger number of heavier machines in replacement of the light V trucks which were more popular a .- year or two ago. . .«, Even should the-number of motor- - vehicles in the Dominion jremain . stationary the replacement of old <Sars, and trucks would constitute a very sub- v stantial industry, for if an average life of ten' years is given—new car, second- - hand, "snip," and "Urewera" class-— -. 20,000 cars would be required eaca -,

year. \ Gisborne was the only centre at ■;, which the number of -motor-cycles \ registered increased and then only by ■_■ two. At Greymouth the number re- ' mained unaltered, but everywhere else there were marked decreases, particularly in the registrations in provincial ,' centres. * '•' The district figures, as at December 31, are as follows, the second column, showing increases or decreases: — »

Wellington. ~, , , Cars 24,098 2,876 •' Li Trucks 4,862 223 Others 2,248 287 Cycles ' 2,127 60» Palmerston North. , ' -; Cars 12,338 997 .\ Trucks 2,727 168 , V Others 1,113 315 -r Cycles .., 850 92* ; Napier. I .* Cars 9,849 794 Trucks 2,717 107 ?' Others 1,004 205. Cycles 678 49* .; New Plymouth. Cars 1 10,642 • 928 ' ■' Trucks 2,869 241 Others 608 135 Cycles 1,017 101* Wanganui. ; Cars 7,721 694 Trucks 1,921 103 . ' . Others 636 153 , t t Cycles 665 102* ■ .:■ Gisborne. Cars .../ 4,783 226' Trucks 1,158 109 Others' ' 591 • 149 ., • Cycles 572 2 ;: Blenheim. . . gars v 2,157 137 Trucks 611 18 , Others :.. 281 79 • ,' Cycles 227 47* ;; Nelson. -.- | Cars i'4,252 556 ( "' Trucks 1,173 87 Others 477 133 . « , -Cycles 410 20* • ;• Westport j ; Cars '. 884 , 137 ,"■ Trucks 286 18 Others 113 10 , Cycles i 94 16* . ■- Greymouth. f \ -'■ Cars 2,492 374 ' '■'« Trucks 682 35 Others 343 52 ,/,' Cycles •. '325 - — f Christchurch. \ < Cars 26,910 2,673 ' •'; Trucks 5,262 117 ;1; Others ......... 3,187 646 \ Cycles 3,150 337* v Auckland. - ' ! Cars 40,484 4,795 Trucks 8,772 526 Others ...* .3,566 682 Cycles 4,581 , 176* Thames. j . s Cars 7,572 714 ( Trucks 2,102 131 j Others 714 s 170 Cycles 646 17* Hamilton. ! -, Cars 17,991 2,169 j . Trucks ...v.... 4,731 279 ' '/- Others 1,988 508 Cycles 1,439 92* Timaru. J , . Cars 6,323 360 Trucks 1,474 72 Others ' 790 167 Cycles 504 98* Oamaru. Cars 2,468 169 Trucks 592 26 ■ Others 277 74 : Cycles 169 43 #, Dunedin. Cars ........... 12,761 1,016 Trucks 2,863 43 ■ Others 1,397 230 Cycles ......... 1,563 45 # Invercargill. Cars 9,773 832 Trucks ........ 2,494 63 Others .... 1,258 393 Cycles 716 149* •Decrease. ' j