MOTOR OWNERSHIP

Grey River Argus, 24 April 1937, Page 4

MOTOR OWNERSHIP

Last Year’s Development

OFFICIAL FIGURES A RECORD.

DOMINION SECOND IN WORLD

Motor registration figures prepared by the Transport Division of the General Post Office show that, on the 31st March last, there were 254,017 motor vehicles licensed to use the roads in New Zealand. Compared with last year, they had increased by 12.01 per 'cent., 0r'27,243. Tn addition to the licensed vehicles, th e register contains 2’4,110 "dormant’’ registrations. This means that the total registrations in the Dominion at the end of March was 278 127. The figures reach their highest point at the end of May, and if the present high rate of registrations is maintained during April and May the total vehicles at the end of the licenisng year will be in the vicinity of 284,000. There is a motor vehicle for every 5.4 persons in the Dominion, and in proportion to population New Zealand stands second only to the United States of America as the largest -motorowning community in the world. A survey of the motor trade taken some time ago by the Imperial Economic Committee showed, in respect to motor ownership per thousand of population, that the following countries were highest on the list: — United States 20b New Zealand 122 South Africa 120 Canada Australia 9o France •• United Kingdom 44 Ddnmark i On the basis of the total registrations at the end of March, the figures for New- Zealand in the above table would be 185 motor vehicles per thousand of population. The distribution of the motor ownership in the Dominion and the development of the past year can be seen from the following schedule of the licenses current in the various postal districts on the 31st March last: — Auckland— Increase.

Viewing the Dominion as a whole, these figures disclose that the growth in motor-vehicle ownership has been fairly evenly shared between cars and commercial vehicles, the increase in cars having been 20,100, or 13.40 per cent., and that of commercial vehicles 6,903, or 13.04 por cent. Motor-cycles increased in number by 240, or 1 per cent.

Registrations made during the year represent mainly the additions of new vehicles to the Dominion’s motor fleet, and this total of 37.823, compared with 28,335 for the year 1935, constituted a record since the inception of the registration system. The previous highest point, reached in the year ended March, 1930, has been exceeded by nearly 7000 registrations .

There was a record turn-over of motor-vehicles during, the same period, this being reflected in the notifications of changes of ownership. They totalled 129,486, an increase, compared with the previous year, of 28,039, or 27.63 per cent.

Cars 32,498 4,651 Trucks 8,489 2,456 626 Others 458 Cycles 5.074 167 Thames — Cars 6.269 902 Trucks 1,937 209 Others 453 74 Cycles 776 53 Hamilton — Cars 14,553 2,295 Trucks 4,606 422 Others 1,258 203 Cycles 2,003 120 Gisborne — Cars 4.169 393 Trucks 1,015 156 Others 356 44 Cycles 568 62 Napier— Cars 8,542 794 Trucks 2,634 215 Others 698 145 Decrease Cycles New Plymouth— 845 52 Increase Cars 9,201 854 Trucks 2,552 243 Others 429 41 Decrease Cycles Wanganui— 1,375 39 Increase Cars 6,548 1,820 678 Trucks 228 Others 418 65 Decrease. Cycles 882 28 Palmerston North — Increase. Cars 10,671 1,077 Trucks 2,565 683 235 Others 105 Cycles 1,119 36 Wellington — Cars 19,418 2,596 Trucks 4,695 420 Others 1,783 393 Decrease. Cycles Blenheim— 2,440 8 Increase. Cars 1,834 152 Trucks 612 78 Others 175 25 Decrease. Cycles Nelson— 334 26 Increase. Cars 3,493 298 Trucks 1,131 108 Others 286 25 Decrease. Cycles West port — 569 31 Increase. Cars 642 73 Trucks 265 15 Others 97 20 Cycles 121 6 Greymouth— Cars 1,9717 239 Trucks 671 74 Others 253 20 Decrease. Cycles Christchurch— 387 Increase. Cars 22,746 2,497 Trucks 5,326 654 Others 2,396 529 Cycles Timaru— 3,861 3 Cars 5,634 652 Trucks 1,462 173 Others 585 119 Decrease. Cycles Oamaru— 1 785 56 Increase. Cars 2,233 126 Trucks 555 37 Others 215 58 Decrease. Cycles Dunedin— 263 32 Increase. Cars 11,092 1,017 Trucks 2,784 154 Others 1,013 1,791 190 Cycles 80 Invercargill— Cars 8,484 807 Truck's 2,430 209 Others 697 133 Decrease. Cycles 1,008 13