November Registrations in a Fog
Page 16
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A Particularly Dull Month in which Both Goods and Hackney Vehicles Stagel a Marked Decline. Oilers the Only Bright Spot in the Returns
AS we intimated in our news pages for last week, the number of new commercial vehicles registered in November, 1937, showed a marked falling off compared with the corresponding month of the previous year. In actual fact, goods vehicles declined from 6,312 to 5,224, whilst hackneys fell from 538 to 489. As regular readers will be aware, there has been a decided irregularity about the returns for some months past, although on few ,occasions have the falls been so considerable as in November last.
Main Goods-vehicles Classes All Down.
The five classes covering machines up to an unladen weight of 24 tons, which always comprise the greater part of the goods-vehicle returns, each showed decided falls, the totals for last November being as follow, the previous year's figures being given in parentheses ;—Not exceeding 12-cwt., 960 (1,323)-; 12-cwt,-1-ton, 748 (843) ; 1-14-tons, 472 (504); 14-2-tons, 745 (1,004) ; 2-24-tons, 1,617 (1,886).
In the remaining six classes in which registrations took place there were 365 vehicles licensed, compared with 356 in November, 1936, in both instances, the greater part comprising 24-3-tonners.
A bright spot in the–goods-vehicle returns was the slight increase in oilers, which from 134 in November, 1936, advanced to 149 a year later. As is' usually the case, most of these vehicles were registered in the four categories covered by the unladen weight limits of • three tons and . seven tons.
The electric-vehicle section was not hit by the general fall, but only just about held its own, the 1936 total of 70 rising to 73; 65 of the registrations of this type were iri the two classes up to 1-tonners. • Included in the goods-vehicle returns were 34 machines licensed for drawing trailers, contrasted with 28 for the same purpose in November, 1936.
Turning the tables on the figures for October, both types of six-wheeled vehicle showed an improvement, the rigid-frame pattern advancing from 60 to 67 -and the articulated type from 38 to' 51. Of the latter type, 37 of the vehicles licensed were 3-4-tonners.
The eight-wheeled niachine put up a moderately good showing, the 26 vehicles of this type registered contrasting with 31 in the corresponding month of 1936; 21 of them were 6-7tonners.
Out of a total of 1,087 exempt vehicles, 992 represented Governmentowned machines, the 1936 totals being 1,120 and 1,045 respectively.
Agricultural vans and lorries remained stable, there being a difference of only one vehicle in the totals for the two years; the November, 1937, figure was 87. In the 5s. class for agricultural engines, 380 registrations took place, of which 268 were ploughing machines, etc. ; the total for the class was 326 in November,. 1936. . Under the heading of tractors, 18 for agricultural purposes and 21 for generalhaulage uses were licensed, the comparable totals for November, 1936. being 10 and • 16 respectively.
Hackney Oilers Provide a Bright Spot.
The most satisfactory feature of the hackney returns for November last was shown in the section for oil-engined vehicles, where an increase of 26 registrations took place, the total for November last being 260, including 180 48-56-seaters. In the petrol hackneys class, very few buses were licensed, because the total of 162 included 128 taxicabs ; the corresponding figures for November, 1936, were 189 and 144 respectively. Trolleybus registrations were almost halved, the total of 67 contrasting with 115 a year earlier.
In the 11 months ended November, 1937, 70,238 goods vehicles and 7,820 hackney vehicles were licensed, the corresponding figures for 1936 being 73,441 and 7,519 respectively.