17

F.—l

(2) Motor-vehicles (other than those used exclusively in connection with the maintenance or construction of roads or streets) owned by Government and local authorities are now required to pay registration and license fees. Local authorities, however, are still required to pay registration fees in respect of all vehicles owned by them. (3) In the schedule of fees payable for annual licenses the rate for a motor-coach, motor-omnibus, or truck fitted with solid tires is reduced from £5 per annum to £3. The fee for a truck fitted with pneumatic tires is now £2 per annum. (4) The motor-registration year now commences on the Ist June, and ends on the succeeding 31st day of May. As a consequence fourteen months' fees were collected in connection with the 1928-29 relicensing of vehicles. (5) Authority is given the Registrar of Motor-vehicles to cancel the registration, of a vehicle in the event of its remaining unlicensed for a period of one year. As the clause is not mandatory, regulations wore gazetted to the effect that the registration of a vehicle shall automatically be cancelled in the event of its not being licensed for a period of two clear motor-registration years. (6) Provision is made for the refunding of a proportionate amount of license foe in the event of a vehicle being (a) destroyed by reason of accident or (b) permanently removed from New Zealand. The Government Statistician, at the instigation of the Transport Investigation Committee, had action taken to appoint Deputy Registrars of Motor-vehicles as sub-enumerators in connection with the collection of statistics from proprietors of organized motor-transport services operating on defined routes. The following figures show the number of live motor-vehicle registrations (including 1925-26 dormant registrations) at the 31st March, 1928 : — North Island. Cars .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 71,185 Commercial vehicles, &c. .. .. .. .. .. 17,638 Cycles .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 20,392 109,215 South Island. Cars 43,265 Commercial vehicles, &c. .. .. .. .. .. 7,987 Cycles .. .. ' 15,148 — 66,400 Total 175,615 The above figures do not include those vehicles for which 3,000 demonstration-plates were issued to dealers. The following table shows the 1925-26 dormant registrations — i.e., registrations applying to vehicles which have not been licensed for the years 1926-27 or 1927-28. These registrations will be cancelled on the Ist April, 1928, in accordance with the regulations made under section 10 of the Motorvehicles Amendment Act, 1927 :— North Island. Cars .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 1,251 Commercial vehicles .. .. .. .. .. .. 477 Cycles 1,489 3,217 South Island. Cars 912 Commercial vehicles .. .. .. .. .. .. 325 Cycles .. .. .. .. .. •• ■• 1,436 2,673 Total 5,890 Registrations which were cancelled between the coming into operation of the Motor-vehicles Act, 1924, and the 31st March, 1928, are as follow :— North Island. Cars 1,911 Commercial vehicles .. .. .. .. .. .. 887 Cycles 1,530 4,328 South Island. Cars .. 1,029 Commercial vehicles .. .. .. .. .. . . 337 Cycles .. .. .. 1,057 2,423 Total .. .. .. ... .. .... 6,751 The total number of vehicles registered during the period Ist January, 1925, to 31st March, 1928, was 182,366.

3— ¥. 1.