Tide Turns with April's Registrations
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After Several Dull Months Registrations of New Commercial Motors Show a Healthy Upward Trend in Both Goods and Hackney Branches
FOR the first tape this year the registrations of new commercial vehicles, both on the goods and hackney sides, showed a useful increase, and the slump of the opening months seems to have been corrected, according to tendencies revealed by the figures for April last. In that month there were 47,786 new vehicles registered, compared with 43,207 a year earlier, the goods-vehicle proportion being 6,419, contrasted with 5,863, and the hackney-vehicle quota 849, compared with 712.
Petrol Goods Vehicles Advance.
So far as petrol goods vehicles are concerned, the increase was only a little short of 500, this year's total of 6,119 having to be set against 5,629 for a year earlier. In the six classes covering machines of three tons unladen weight, there was only one in which a decrease was shown, this being the 11-2-tonners, which had a minor fall from 1,026 to 1,017 vehicles.
In the other categories covered by this limit, the following registrations took place, last year's totals being given in parentheses :—Not exceeding 12 cwt, 1,296 (1,185) ; 12 cwt.-1 ton, 827 (791) ; 1-1k tons, 603 (462) ; 2-2i tons, 2,000 (1,789) ; 21-2 tons, 200 (193). Above this capacity, 176 vehicles were licensed in April last, compared with 183 a year earlier.
The improvement in goods oilers was maintained and, at 143, the number of registrations was 42 up on last year's comparable return. As was the case a year ago, most of the registrations took place in the 3-4-ton (45) and 4-5-ton (29) divisions.
Electric-vehicle registrations seem to have come into the limelight once again, and, at 83 for April last, the total was nearly double that for April, 1936; 76 of the machines were registered in the two sections up to 1-ton capacity.
In April last year, the steamer drew a blank, but a twelvemonth later three such vehicles were registered.
Included in the goods-vehicle returns were 24 vehicles licensed for drawing trailers, compared with 28 for the previous year.
So far as six-wheelers are concerned. both the rigid-framed and articulated types showed a fall—the former from 71 to 55 and the lattei from 48 to 36. In April of both years, 19 eightwheelers were registered.
Under the heading of miscellaneous vehicles, 1,360 Government-owned machines were licensed, contrasted with 717 in April, 1936.
The number of agricultural vans and lorries licensed was 67, compared with '10 a year earlier, all machines in both years being petrolsengined. N Under the heading of tractors, 44 registrations took place, made, up of 26 of the agricultural pattern and 18 for general haulage. Last year's total was 18, comprising six agricultural, 10 general-haulage, and two showmen's machines.
Oiler Favoured in Passenger Field.
The oil-engined vehicle continues to retain its popularity in the passengervehicle sphere, as is borne out by the April registrations, when 434 buses equipped with this form of power unit ' were registered, compared with 232 a year earlier. In April last the two most popular types were 32-40-seaters (152) and 48-56-seaters (177).
Amongst the 399 petrol passenger vehicles registered were 91 28-32seaters and 80 20-26-seaters, although at 41 the 14-20-seaters weie also prominent. In this division, 147 taxicabs were licensed, compared with 210. a year ago. At 16, the trolleybus registrations were halved, contrasted with last year's figure.
The total number of goods vehicles registered in the four months ended April last was 28,219, compared with 28,548 for the previous year, the corresponding returns for hackney vehicles being 2.717 and 2,545 respectively.