Registration Returns For September Analysed
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1N analysing the returns showing the registration of new motor vehicles for August last, we prefaced our comments by stating that, although the total for all vehicles indicated a big advance on that for the comparable month of 1934, the differences in the totals for goods and hackney vehicles were very slight. The same comments apply with equal force to the returns for September, which have recently been issued by the Ministry of Transport.
The number of new motor vehicles registered in September last was 28,128, contrasted with 21,024 in September, 1934, goods vehicles representing 4,963 of the total, and hackney vehicles 386, figures which compare with 4,996 and 343 for September of last year.
The number of new petrol goods vehicles registered jell from 4,778 to 4,681. The only notable advance took place in the class for vehicles not exceeding 12 cwt.: last year's figure of 672 rising to 818. There was a distinct drop in the section for 11-2-tonners (from 1,116 to 937), but in most of the other important categories there were relatively small falls. The largsst number of vehicles (1,442) was licensed in the 2-2-ton division.
Once again the number of new oilers registered reveals a balanced tendency, for last year's total of 119 is only in-. creased to 123 in September, 1935. There was a useful advance in the 3-4
M4 ton class (from 29 to 45), but this was completely offset by a fall in 4-5tonners (frofn 42 to 24). Other outstanding features in this division were the increase in 5-6-tonners (from 12 to 28) and the drop in those vehicles not exceeding 24 tons from 18 to 5. Included in this year's total for oilers were 20 vehicles licensed for drawing trailers, as against 28 a year ago.
No improvement is yet to be noticed in the figures for steam vehicles and only one machine, a 5-6-tonner, was registered in September last.
More Electrics.
The upward tendency in electricvehicle registrations continues unabated; this year's total of 58 such vehicles is nearly treble that for September, 1934. Most of the types licensed (39) were in the class for vehicles not exceeding 12 cwt.
The total for goods vehicles includes 62 articulated-type six-wheelers and 56 of the rigid class, and a comparison with the corresponding figures for 1934 suggests that the articulated pattern is gaining popularity, whilst that of the rigid type appears to be on the wane.
In the section for agricultural vans and lorries, 83 vehicles were licensed, compared with 66 in September, 1934, all of-them—with the exception of one 5-6-ton oiler—being in the petrolengined Turning to hackney-vehicle registra , tions, it is informative to note that the figures for oil-engined vehicles show a large increase, whilst those for petrol vehicles have fallen rather abruptly. The number of oilers registered was 175, compared with 81 a • year ago, whilst the return for petrol hackneys at 185 contrasts with 259 in September, 1934. The main increases in the former concerned 32-40-seater single-deckers and 48-56-seater double-deckers. The former rose from 7 to 66, and the latter from 17 to 69. The number of 26-32-seaters licensed was 16, against 49.
The chief reason for the big drop in petrol hackneys was due to the smaller interest in 48-56-seaters, of which only 17 were licensed, as against 53 a year ago, whilst in the 32-40-seater class only one vehicle was registered, as com:. pared with 22 in September, 1934. It will be noted that the main increases in oil-engined vehicles took place in those divisions in which petrol-engined vehicles showed the largest falls.
At 28, the number of tractors registered was the same for both September, 1934 and 1935. In this year's total there were 15 vehicles of the generalhaulage type and 13 for agricultural work.
The aggregate returns for the nine months ended September last show that 50,734 goods vehicles and 5,700 hackney vehicles were registered, the corresponding totals for 1934 being 50,693 and 4,087.