February's Registration Returns Analysed
Page 48
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I N our issue for last week we gave brief details of the registrations of new commercial vehicles in February last, and an analysis of the figures contained in the latest return issued by the Ministry of Transport gives an indication of present-day tendencies. Although the figure for hackney vehicles was slightly higher than the comparable return for February, 1934 (337 against 227), there was a slight fallingoff in the licences issued for goods vehicles, this year's total of 4,920 contrasting with 4,961 for February, 1934.
Analysing the returns for petrol goods vehicles, we find that the chief advance was made in the class for vehicles not exceeding 12 cwt. unladen, this year's 1,065 registrations being a marked improvement on last year's
total (733). The class for l2-cwt.1-ton vehicles also improved—from 641 to 726—and the next category, 1-14-tonners, about held its own (421 against 429), a remark which also applies to the 2-24-ton division, in which this year's 1,163 registrations contrast with 1,115 a year earlier.
The 14-2-ton class again showed a fall, the total for February, 1935, being 251 lower than that for 12 months earlier, i.e., 998 against 1,249. It will be remembered that, in this class, the registrations for January were lower by 176 vehicles.
In the sections for vehicles in the B38 heavy motorcar class, the registrations were appreciably lower, being 318, compared with 541 in the preceding year. There were marked falls in the 24-3-ton, 3-4-ton and 4-5-ton divisions.
The general decrease in petrol vehicles also spread to the oil-engined classes, in which there were 136 registrations, as contrasted with 155, although the vehicles licensed in the categories not exceeding 24 tons were doubled, being 22 as against 11. In the 24-3-ton division there was also a
rise from 7 to 17 registrations. The most outstanding fall was in the 4-5ton class, the total of 65 for February, 1934, dropping to 27 in February last. Included in this year's total for oilers are 20 vehicles for drawing trailers, which is exactly half the number for February last year.
There were only two steam goods vehicles registered in February, 1935, contrasted with 19 a year earlier, whilst the tendency for the electric vehicle to become increasingly popular is borne out by the February registrations, which show a total of 39, as compared with 33 in February, 1934.
The total for goods vehicles includes 77 six-wheelers of the rigid type and 64 of the articulated pattern, figures which compare with 174 and 87 respectively for the previous year, whilst six eight-wheelers were also registered.
In the categories for agricultural vans and lorries, there were 50 vehicles licensed, as against 37 in the previous year, all of them, with one exception in each year, being petrol-engined.
Turning to the hackney-vehicle statistics, we find that 227 of the total of 337 vehicles registered were in the petrol-engined division, the comparable return for last year being 194 out of a total of 227, figures which point to the fact that the oiler is making useful headway in this class.
There were actually 106 oil-engined passenger vehicles registered, which is 82 higher than the figure for last year. Most of this year's registrations of oilers took place in the 40-48-seater and 48-56-seater classes, which, together, account for 89 of the total. In the petrol-vehicle category, more than half the vehicles licensed were taxicabs.
The total for hackney vehicles is completed by four trolleybuses, compared with nine a year earlier, and the gross total includes 17 six-wheelers.
In the section for tractors, there were 35 registrations, 20 of the machines being for agricultural work and the remainder for general haulage; the corresponding returns for 1934 were 15 and 16 respectively. The registration of ploughing engines (5s. class) rose from 190 in February, 1934, to no fewer than 254 in February, 1935.