MODERN TRANSPORT

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 53, Issue 3824, 21 October 1936, Page 8

MODERN TRANSPORT

DEPARTMENT’S ANNUAL REPORT. INTERESTING FIGURES. The annual report of the Transport Department, presented to Parliament on Tuesday, contains a most interesting and informative series of graphs and tables reviewing all branches of transport in the Dominion, and it will be read and studied by all interested in the various forms of transportation, especially in view of the ever-changing conditions. The introductory matter published below is an indication of the facts contained in the report: The year 1935-36 has been one of outstanding events in the motor transport industry. Both passenger and goods services licensed under the Transport Licensing Act, 1931, reflect expansion of business and increasing prosperity. New car registrations during the year were recorded as 19,469, only 1,400 behind the record figures for 1930. The registrations of commercial vehicles are the highest yet recorded. The quantity of petrol consumed by motor transport was just under 62,000,000 gallons, against 56,000,000 for the previous year and 63,000,000 gallons in 1929-30. The receipts from all classes of motor taxation (including Customs duties in respect of vehicles and parts) was just under £4,500,000, the highest figure yet recorded. The annual expenditure on roads, streets and bridges was just under £7,300,000, an increase of £430,000 over the figure for the previous year. While expenditure on construction work dropped from £2,465,000 in 193334 to £2,361,000 in 1934-35, and interest and sinking fund charges decreased from £2,354,000 in 1933-34 to £2,303,000 in 1934-35, the expenditure on maintenance rose from £2,025,000 in 1933-34 to £2,608,000 in 1934-35. A further 1,300 miles of roads were classified according to load limits during the year. Just over 88 per cent of the main highways and 50 per cent of the rural roads are now classified. Detailed results of the first national road traffic census ever held in the Dominion became available during the year. Motor accidents caused 203 deaths during the year, an increase of 21 over the figure for the previous year. For the first time on record the claims paid under the third party insurance scheme were greater than the premium revenue, the figures being, premiums £211,000 and claims £288,000. Far-reaching changes were made in the legislation relating to the licensing of motor transport. The more important of these were the introduction of the three year, in place of the annual, tenure of licenses, ,the simplification of licensing procedure, the reduction in the number of licensing authorities from nine to four, and the personnel of the licensing authorities from three persons to one person, the abolition of the Transport Co-ordina-tion Board and the vesting of its functions in the Minister of Transport.