MOTOR OWNERS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22708, 21 April 1937, Page 16

MOTOR OWNERS

DOMINION FIGUBES LARGE INCREASE FOR YEAR SECOND TO UNITED STATES A total of 254,017 motor vehicles was licensed to use the roads of Now Zealand on March 31, according to motor registration figures prepared b3 r the transport division, of the General Post Office. Compared with the returns at the same date in 1936, the licences show an iucrea.se of 27,213, or 12.01 per cent. In addition to the licensed vehicles there were 24,110 •"dormant" registrations at the end of March, making a grand total of 278,127 registrations. Normally registration figures are highest at the close of the licensing year in May, so that if the present high rate of registration is maintained the total vehicles at the end of next month is expected to be in the vicinity of 284,000.

Countries Compared There is a motor vehicle for every 5.4 persons in the Dominion, and in proportion to population New Zealand stands second only to tho United States as the largest motor-owning community in the world. A survey of the motor trade taken some time ago by the Imperial Economic Committee showed, with respect to motor-ownership per thousand of population, that the following countries were highest on the list: —United States, 206; New Zealand, 122; South Africa, 120; Canada, 107; Australia, 96; France, 52; United Kingdom, 44; Denmark, 36. On the basis of tho total registrations at tho end of March, however, the figures for New Zealand would ho 185 vehicles per thousand of population.

The development in motor ownership during the past year is indicated by the following figures for the Auckland, Thames and Hamilton postal districts, the figures in parentheses being the increase since March 31, 1936:—Auckland: Cars, 32,498 (46.51); trucks, 8489 (626); other vehicles, 2456 (458); cycles, 5074 (167). Thames: Cars, 6269 (902); trucks, 1937 (209); others, 453 (74); cycles, 776 (53). Hamilton: Cars, 14,553 (2294); trucks, 4606 (422); others, 1258 (203); cycles, 2003 (120).

Growth Analysed Viewing the Dominion as a whole 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 13.4 per cent, and that of commercial vehicles, 6903, or 13.04 per cent. Motor-cycles, which decreased in numbers in some districts, showed a Dominion increase of 240, or 1 per cent. Registrations 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 previous year, constituted a record. The previous highest point, reached in the year ended March, 1930, has been exceeded by nearly 7000 registrations. There was also a record turnover of motor vehicles in the past year, 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.