September's Registrations in
Page 57
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the Dumps
Goods Vehicles and Hackneys Both Stage a Decline in the Latest Licensing Statistics
(—INCE again the monthly returns of NJ new-vehicle registrations are of a gloomy character and, what is more, the figures for September in respect of both classes of commercial vehicle show a downward tendency. For some time past the goods-vehicIe, registrations hoe been falling, but until Cow there has always been a partial Offset by hackneys.
The latest figures show that 4,741 goods vehicles were registered, contrasted with 6,047 in September, 1937, whilst the hackney totals for the two years were 590 and 600 respectively. As a matter of fact, each .of the five sections into which the statistics are split up showed a drop, and the total at 26,520 was well below that (31,994) for the comparable month of the previous 'year,
Naturally enough, the largest fall was to be found in the category for petrol goods vehicles, last year's total ...of 5,740 dropping to 4,476. In this year's aggregate there was only one division in which more than 1,000 registrations took plate, this being the 2-24-tormers, with 1,486 vehicles, and even in this case the return was 461 below that of September, 1937.
There was only one grade which showed an increase, that being the 12-cwt.-1-ton division, which advanced from 822 to 850. In the other sections the following registrations took place, last year's totals being given in parentheses :—Not exceeding 12-cwt., 701 (1,077); 1-ton-11-tons, 416 (532); 11-2-tons, 705 (920); 21-3-tons, 167 (241); 3-4-tons, 119 (146); 4-5-tons, 25 (31).
The goods oiler came under the general cloud of depression, and, at 111, the registrations compared with 132.a year earlier. The best showing was put up by the 4-5-tonner,. with 35 registrations, followed closely by the 3-4-tonner, with 27. It is interesting to note that 13 vehicles with oil engines were licensed in the classes not exceeding an unladen weight of 24 tons,
The electric vehicle stood still', there being an identical number of registrations (65) -in September of .both years. The number of goods vehicles licensed for drawing trailers was 9, last year's total being 13.
Articulated Vehicles Disappoint.
The most surprising feature of the figures relating to multi-wheeIed vehicles was the sharp decline in the number of machines of the articulated type, this year's total of 23 such vehicles contrasting with 83 a year earlier. Under this heading 46 fivewheeled machines wete licensed and 63 six-wheelers (the same as for last year), whilst 17 eight-wheelers-13 of them 6-7-tonners—were registered, cornpared with 25 a year earlier. • The number of agricultural vans and lorries licensed was 76, all of them in the petrol-prapelled category; last year's total was 96, all in the same division.
Under the heading of agricultural engines (5s. class), 632 1 ploughing machines, etc., were registered, against 599 in September, 1937. The number of tractOrs registered was 25, almost equally divided between those for agricultural work and those for general haulage.
• The highspot of the hackney returns was tout ed by the ,Petrol vehicle, and last year's registrations, at 197, increased to 289 in September, 1938, the reason being the large number (106) of 26-32-seaters licensed. In the other main categories very few hackneys were registered, the remaining vehicles (146) chiefly comprising taxicabs.
To some extent the hackney oiler fell fromt grace, the 226 registrations in this division contrasting with 256 a year earlier, In both years the peak was reached by the 48-56-seater-116 -this year and 189 last year.
All the trolleybuses registered (75) were double-deckers, and the total for this class was only about a half of that for the month of September a year ago.
The aggregate figures for the nine months ended September show, that 51,328 goods vehicles and 7,187 hackney vehicles were licensed, the corresponding returns for last year, being 58,520 and 6,652.