December's Registration Returns Analysed
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Tendencies that are Indicated by the Latest Returns of the Ministry of Transport. The Figures for the Year Show Increases in the Main Categories
THE registrations of new motor vehicles in December last, as revealed by the monthly return recently issued by the Ministry of Transport, show that the figures for both goods and hackney vehicles are being well maintained. In the month in question, 5,631 new goods vehicles were registered, compared with 5,528 a year earlier, whilst in the case of hackney vehicles the 327 vehicles registered in December last compared with 316 a year earlier.
An analysis of the goods-vehicle returns shows that the popularity of the petrol 2-4-tonner continues, the figure of 1,273 comparing with 1,077 in December, 1933. In the l-2-ton class B38 the registrations are virtually unchanged, compared with the previous month (1,245 against 1,242)„ the figure for December, 1933, being 1,377. A feature of the December returns is that, in the three divisions below the 1+-tormer, there were in-. creases, these being as follow:—Not exceeding 12 cwt., 1,025, as against 983 a year earlier; 12 cwt.-1 ton, 902, compared with 893; 1-11 ton, 509, as contrasted with 447.
A downward tendency has been reflected in the heavier classes for several months past, and this continued in December, as is revealed by the following figures:-21-3-ton, 214 registrations, as against 200 a year earlier; 3-4-ton, 141, compared with 211; 4-8ton, 49, contrasted with 139. In the. petrol classes above five tons, there were only 22 registrations, as against 70 in December, 1933.
In considering all these figures it must be remembered that the 1933 totals include vehicles driven on oil fuel, coal gas, etc., whereas these are now recorded separately.
The main registrations of oilers continue in the same categories as for the previous month, these being for vehicles not exceeding 21 tons, 3-4 tons and 4-5 tons, the returns being 33, 48 and 32 respectively,. In the classes above 5-tonners, there were 29 oilers registered. Included in the total for oilers are 11 vehicles licensed for drawing trailers.
In December, 1934, only. two steam goods -vehicles (5-6-tanners) were registered, as against 20 a year earlier, whilst the figure of 28 for electrics has to be set against 26 in December,
1933 • The total for goods vehicles includes 78 rigid six-wheelers and 69 of the articulated pattern, whilst 10 eightwheelers were also registered.
Turning to the hackney-vehicle statistics, . it is somewhat surprising to note that only seven trolleybuses were registered, as against 59 a year earlier; they were all in the 56-64 seater division. In the petrol class, there were 213 registrations, as contrasted with 257 in December, 1933, the difference in the totals being largely brought about by the big fall in the 48-56-seater class (froth 101 to 8). The taxicab registrations show a slight increase from 87 to 114.
It is interesting to observe the tendency for increases in the smaller classes, notably in 20-26-seaters, in which the registrations rose from 3 to 29. In the 14-20-seaters, too, there was an increase from 19 vehicles in December, 1933, to 28 a year later. In the case of oilers, there were 107 registrations, most of these (47) being double-deckers in the 48-56-seater category. So far as single-deckers are concerned, the main registrations (23) were in the 26-32-seater class. During December, 1934, 60 agricultural vans and lorries were registered, the same as in the previous month, 22 being in the li-2-ton class, whilst there were 13 in each of the 12-cwt.-1-ton and 2-2i-ton divisions. Under the heading of tractors, 10 machines for general-haulage work were registered and four for agricultural purposes.
The aggregate figures for the complete year, show that 68,225 goods vehicles, 5,384 hackney vehicles and 461 tractors ' were registered,' the corresponding returns for 1983 being 53,763: 4,012 and 354 ' In the next issue we hope to ptiblish an analysis of the complete year's returns, which, we feel sure, will interest operators and reflect tendencies of Value to manufacturers.