REGISTRATIONS A RECORD

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLIII, Issue 20892, 23 November 1937, Page 5

REGISTRATIONS A RECORD

TRANSPORT IN THE DOMINION DEPARTMENT’S REPORT The receipts from all classes of motor taxation in the Dominion during the year ended March 31. 1937, were a little less than £5,350,000 — nearly £900,000 more than the receipts for the previous year—and there were 25,796 new registrations, these being the highest yet recorded. These details were given in the annual report of the Transport Department, which was tabled in the House of Representatives last week. The total number of registrations of motor vehicles last year was 37,823. this figure including 8999 commercial vehicles and 3028 motor-cycles. The greatest number of new registrations previously was in 1930, the total then being 30,847. A preference for motorcars of British manufacture was clearly shown last year. Of the cars registered 14,556 came from Great Britain and 11,133 from the United States and Canada. In the previous year 9396 cars registered came from Great Britain and 10,023 from the United States and Canada. In 1927 only 2185 cars of English manufacture were registered in New Zealand, while the registrations of American origin numbered 13,623.

Seventy-two per cent, of the commercial vehicles registered last year, however, were imported from the United States and Canada. In the North Island there were nearly twice as many motor vehicles licensed at the end of the financial year as there were in the South Island, the numbers being respectively 167,009 and 88,739. The report shows that there was a tremendous increase in the consumption of petrol during 1936, the increase on the consumption of 1935 being 9.300,000 gallons, making the year’s total 78,792,651 gallons. Duty was paid on all but 6,685,000 gallons. Discussing the financial position of passenger service operators in New Zealand, the report said that once again there had been an increase in the rate of profit for the services generally. The estimated loss for the year ended March 31, 1932—the year before the Transport Licensing Act came into force—was about £40,000. During the five years since then there had been a steady increase in the net returns to operators, and for the year under review there had been a net profit >f £109,000. This was an advance of nearly 12 per cent, on the total profits for the previous year, and was equivalent to a return of 12 per cent, on the total capital invested.