World on Wheels

Manawatu Times, Volume LIII, Issue 6631, 9 June 1928, Page 3 (Supplement)

World on Wheels

N.Z. Second Only to U.S.A. CANBERRA’S 1,000 CARS With a population of 7,000, Canberra. Australia’s capital, has 1,000 motorcars, making one car for every seven people, to say nothing of trucks and lorries, which bring the total motor vehicle registrations up to 1,316. It is surprising how some countries “run to” motor-cars, says the Melbourne “Herald.” On the island of Madagascar, for example, the total number of motor-cars —or, should one say Madagascar?—in use is 1,060, just the same as Canberra, but Madagascar bas an area of 220,000 square miles, and population of 3,153,500. The Australians affect motor-cars to a remarkable extent. This is easily explainable by the scattered population and magnificent distances. But New Zealand, where these conditions do not apply, is second only to the United States in its proportion of motor-cars to population. The United States has one car to every 5.1 persons, New Zealand one to 10.7, and Australia one to every 13.4 persons.

Tho most rapid rise in the use of the motor-car, however, has been in South Africa, where during last year the motor-cars registered increased by 27 per cent. New Zealand and Australia increased by 25 per cent. America has reached its motor “peak,” apparently, for out of the 29.600.000 vehicles in use in the world, the United States possesses 22,400,000. 7,000,000 Serve Rest It is curious and instructive to see how the seven million odd cars which serve the rest of the world are distributed. The United Kingdom has 1.025.000 cars. France has 891,000. Canada, 828,918. And Australia conics next with 365,651, while New Zealand has 123,224 motor-cars. Between Australia and New Zealand, in the totals of cars registered, come Germany (319,000), Argentine (22,610), Italy (138,177), and Spain (135,000). Sweden, Belgium, India, Brazil, Denmark, the Union of South Africa, the Netherlands and Switzerland, follow New Zealand in that order. Switzerland has 51,560 cars. Mexico follows with 50,476. Japan has 42,727 motorcars for the use of its enormous population of 83,454,489, and has double the area of New Zealand. It is most curious to notice the discrepancies between various parts of the world. That China, with its lack of roads, has but 18,928 cars, is not surprising. But take tho two islands, Iceland and Mauritius. Iceland, with an area of 40,497 square miles and a population of 94,866, has only 365 motor-cars, while Mauritius, which comprises only 720 square miles, and has a population of 376,474, of whom 265,455 arc Indians, has 2,620 motor-cars. The figures quoted take no account of motor-cycles, but include buses and trucks. There were 1,726,241 motorcycles in use in the world on January 1 of last year. A study of the latest figures of the world-census of motor-cars certainly gives food for thought. One smiles to notide the Ellice Islands of the South Pacific bringing up the tail of the list, with two motor-cars, and wonders whether they are Rolls-Royces or Fords.