MOTOR TRANSPORT

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LV, Issue 17238, 19 April 1930, Page 9

MOTOR TRANSPORT

GROWING IMPORTANCE JANUARY FIGURES. The importance of the motor transport industry in New Zealand is revealed in figures dealing with the month of January, which have been prepared by the Government Statistician, Mr.' Malcolm Frascr. Apart from local carriers and taxi services, the« number of vehicles employed in the industry is 2452, and their approximate value is* £1,140,758. The total number of persons employed is 3281.

Tint vehicles employed in the industry have been placed into four groups by Mr. Fraser —omnibus services, passenger car services, freight services, and combined passenger and freight services—and the figures relating to each group are as follows: — Number Approximate of vehicles, value. £ Omnibus service .. 075 486,788 Passenger-car service 507 218,022 Freight services .. 1058 408,830 Combined services 122 33,118 For the whole of the Dominion an increase of 273 vehicles is recorded by comparison with .Inly, 1020. The North Island had 75 per cent, of the omnibuses, 05 per cent, of the passen-ger-car services, 77 per cent, of the freight vehicles, and 03 per cent, of the combined passenger and freight vehicles. The average values of vehicles were: Omnibuses, £721; passenger service-cars, £305; freight, vehicles, £380; and vehicles engaged in combined passenger and freight, services, £272.

The total number of persons en- • 'gaged in connection with the services •'enumerated (inclusive of proprietors actually engaged) was 3281, comprising '3OOO males and IS2 females, compared with 2740 males and Kin females in .Tuly, 1020, the increase bei ing proportionate to the increase in (the number of vehicles in commission during January. Employees per vehicle for the various classes of services were as follow: Omnibuses, 1.5; passenger service-cars, 1.3; freight vehicles, 1.3; ahel combined passenger and :freight vehicles, 1.1. j Of the total mileage of almost three I and three-quarter millions, over two 'and three-quarter millions were covered in the North Island. The average distance covered by each class of vehicle during the month was: Omnibuses, 18.-.7 miles; passenger servicecars, 2312 miles; freight vehicles, 020 miles; and combined passenger and freight vehicles, 1132 miles. Omnibuses carried 2,270,713 passengers for £00.500 fan average faro of 7d); passenger service-cars, 108,000 passengers for £52,844 (average, i)s od)j and freight vehicles, 89,711 ton.s for £{37,302 (average, I."is per ton). Gross receipts per mile were 13.4 d,. ,11.1(1. and lfi.4tl respectively. The considerably increased receipts per mile in the case of passenger sorvice,'cars is due to increased traffic on routes on which the fare per mile is comparatively high. ! The quantities of the principal .classes of freight carried for the 'Dominion were as follow: "Wool, 5006 tons; dairy produce, 21,405 tons; hides, skins, and tallow, 073 tons; live stock, 2823 tons; grain, 1211 tons; fruit, 851 tons; flax, fibre, or tow, 344 tons; manures, 3200 tons; timber, 10,132 tons; lime and cement, 2550 .tons; coal, tons; metal, stone, gravel, etc., 18,805 tons; fuel oils—- . benzine, kerosene, etc., 2107 tons; furniture removals, 084 tons; general merchandise, 13,512 tons; other, 337-3 tons; total. 01,022 tons.