REGISTRATION RETURNS FOR MARCH ANALYSED
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THE number of motor vehicles registered for the first time under the Roads Act, 1920, during March, 3934, was 43,735, contrasted with 33,746 in March, 1933—a noteworthy increase. This year's total includes 7.230 goods vehicles and 636 hackney vehicles, both returns being well ahead of the corresponding figures for March of last year, when 5,004 goods vehicles and 381 hackneys were registered.
Analysing the goods-vehicle returns, we find that the chief increase continues to take place in the 2-21-ton class, the figure of 654 for March, 1933, being mire than doubled a twelvemonth later, when the registrations were 1,408. In the 11-2-ton class, the figure rose from 1,242 to 1,871. , Increases were also recorded in the following classes :—Not exceeding 12 cwt. (from 927 to 1,242), 12 cwt. 1 ton (769 to 1,069), 21-3 ton (185 to 350), 3-4 ton (149 to 234). There was a fall in the 1-11-ton class from 781 to 671, and in the 4-5-ton class from 99 to 67. Included in the 1933 returns were vehicles driven on coal gas, oil fuel, etc., whereas now these are recorded independently.
In March last 35 steam vehicles were registered (26 in the 5-6-ton class), as against 1 a year earlier, whilst the registrations of electrics advanced from 11 to 35. The latest returns show the registration of a 5-6-ton coalgas-propelled vehicle.
In the class for oil-engined vehicles, 157 registrations were tecorded, 64 of theni being in the 4-5-ton class and 44 in the 3-4-ton category. Included in the total of goods vehicles are 195 rigid six-wheelers and 96 of the articulated type, whilst 51 vehicles were licensed for the purpose of drawing trailers.
In the case of hackney vehicles, there were improvements in practically all classes, the most notable being in the 14-20-seater category (from 49 to 103) and in the 26-32-seater class (112 to 170). In the 20-26-seater class the figure was doubled, but the total registrations in March last amounted to only 30. In all, 73 oil-engined passenger vehicles were registered, more than half of them (39) being in the
48-56-seater double-decker class. In March last 15 trolleybuses were registered, as against 5 a year earlier.
The total number of tractors registered in March, 1934, was 40, as against 27 in March, 1933, this year's total including 16 agricultural machines not exceeding 5 tons unladen weight and 14 general-haulage machines not exceeding 2 tons unladen weight.