New Goods-vehicle Registrations Fall by 9,000 in 1938
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I N the final month of 1938 the registrations of new commercial vehicles closed on a decidedly dull note, thus maintaining a tendency that had been all too prevalent throughout the year. In December last, the actual number of goods vehicles registered was 5,604, contrasted with 6,334 in December, 1937. whilst hackneys declined from 635 in the latter month, to 577 a year later. Thus it will be seen that there was a fall of 730 in goods vehicles and 58 in hackney vehicles, the former representing one of the largest monthly falls in the year.
' As is usually the case, the largest fall was to be found in the class for petrol goods vehicles, the total of 6,030 for December, 1937, dropping to 5,295 4 year later. Three categories in this division exceeded the 1,000 mark in December last, the high spot being reached by the 2-tonner to 2+-tonner, with 1,546 registrations, the others, being vehicles with an unladen weight not exceeding 12 cwt. (1,046) and the 12-cwt. to 1-ton class, with 1,084 registrations. The same feature was to be noted in the registrations for December, 1937, but each of last December's totals was below the comparable figures for a year earlier.
In other classes in this section, the following registrations took place, the previous year's totals being given in parentheses :-1 ton to i tons, 547 (631) ; 1i tons to 2 tons, 825 (951); 2+ tons to 3 tons, 159 (187); 3 tons to 4 tons, 63 (115); 4 tons to 5 tons, 18 (31). Not a single major class showed an increase in the number of registrations recorded.
The total for goods oilers fell by 20, the figure for December last being 114. As was the case a year earlier, the 4tonner to 5-tonner was prominent with 33 registrations.
The electric vehicle lost very little ground and, at 94, the number of vehicles licensed was only two down on the previous year's total. Most of the registrations (60) were in respect of 12-cwt. to 1-ton machines.
The number of goods vehicles licensed for drawing trailers was 25, 12 of them being in the class for vehicles not exceeding 21 tons unladen weight; the total for the comparable month in 1937 was 12.
Multi-wheelers Under a Cloud.
In each of the sections into which multi-wheeled vehicles are divided, the number of machines licensed in December last was lower, the biggest fall being in respect of five-wheelers (mechanical horse pattern). The actual totals in each category were as follow, the previous year's figures being given in parentheses :—Five-wheelers, 15 (55) ; rigid six-wheelers, 28 (57) ; articulated type, 21 (29) ; eightwheelers, 15 (25).
In view of the attention that is being directed to agricultural questions, it is not altogether surprising to find that, in the section for vans and lorries
licensed for agricultural work, there was an increase, the total of 89 for. December last, contrasting with 67 a year earlier. Under the heading of agricultural engines (5s. class), 155 ploughing machines, etc., were licensed, against 173 a year' earlier.
So far as tractors are concerned, the total remained stable at 20, there being little variation in the figures for agricultural and general-haulage machines. Under the heading of exempt vehicles, 609 machines were licensed; 510 of them in respect of Government-owned vehicles ; the previous year's totals were 621 and 534 respectively.
At first glance, it seems that the petrol hackney vehicle put up a good showing, in so far as the registrations, at 288, compared with 247 in December, 1937, but upon analysis it is seen that 244 of them were in respect of taxicabs, against 173 in the previous year, so that there was a fall in the chief types in which we are interested.
The hackney oiler fell from grace, the 250 registrations in December last having to be set against 343 in December, 1937. In both years, most vehicles were licensed in the 48-seater to 56seater class, the two totals being 152 and 229 respectively. The total of 39 for trolleybuses included 27 with a seating capacity above 64; the previous year's total in this category was 45.
The number of new goods vehicles registered in 1938 was 67,559, as compared with 76,572 in 1937, a fall of 9,013. In the case of hackneys, a slight increase was recorded, the total •of 8,749 for 1938, being 294 above that for 1937,