H—4o

1946 NEW ZEALAND

TRANSPORT DEPARTMENT (ANNUAL REPORT ON)

Presented to both Houses of the General Assembly by Leave The Hon. J. O'Brien, Minister of Transport, Wellington. Transport Department, 18th July, 1946. Sir, — Herewith I have the honour to submit the annual report of the Transport Department for the year ended 31st March, 1946. I have, &c., G. L. Laurenson, Commissioner of Transport.

REPORT INTRODUCTION 1. Summary of Contents. —(a) Private cars licensed at 31st March, 1946, numbered 201,425, an increase of 2,007 as compared with the number at the same date in 1945 ; all other classes of vehicles showed an increase over the previous licensing period. (b) Petrol-consumption by mo tor-vehicles during the calendar year 1945 increased by 11,878,000 gallons compared with 1944, an increase of 22 per cent. (c) Deaths from road accidents fell from 140 in 1944 to 129 in 1945. (d) Road accidents involving personal injury increased from 2,097 in 1944 to 2,385 in 1945, and 640 more people were injured as a result of road accidents in 1945 than in 1944. (e) The Auckland Metropolitan Area showed a decrease in motor accidents from 493 in 1944 to 427 in 1945. The other three metropolitan areas all show increases. (f) Road accidents increased substantially after the additional petrol allowance for private cars was granted in August. (g) Increase in convictions for traffic offences on information laid by Department's Traffic Inspectors from 4,598 in 1944-45 to 6,288 in 1945-46. (h) Continued heavy volume of traffic catered for by public passenger-services ; nearly three times greater than pre-war. (i) During year, 797 transport licenses were granted to ex-servicemen, representing an increase of 463, or approximately 139 per cent, upon the corresponding figure for 1944-45. (j) Restrictions on household deliveries by motor-vehicle ended during year, excepting milk zoning.