MOTOR NUMBERS

Dominion, Volume 18, Issue 181, 2 May 1925, Page 22

MOTOR NUMBERS

KRY TO WHERE CARS COME FROxM. I In order that motorists may have II some clue as to where the vehicles they encounter on the roads hail from “Spotlight” has procured from the Post Office a key to the new registration numbers. This, year the numbers are I very much mixed for several reasons. I The new Act came into force on January 1, and as it has not been possible to provide plates of standard pattern at the outset locally made plates were issued to all new motor vehicles pnt on the roads between New Yea T’s Day and the arrival of the first lot of standard plates. This accounts for the absence from the standard plate list below of the smaller numbers. Furthermore, when the new plates began to arrive, the first shipments were limited and small parcels had to be passed about the country to provide numbers at once for new vehicles going on the road, the bulk supplies for many districts having to be left over. Finally, even when.the bulk supplies did come to hand, and were allotted, I it was found that districts outran their estimated requirements, and further parcels had to be allotted. The tangle of numbers resulting is due to the fact that no census had ever before been taken of the number of motor vehicles on the road in the Dominion, and the distribution of numbers Was thus necessarily on a guesswork basis. Next year, and in subsequent years, up-to-date figures as to the vehicles on the rdajd will be available, and all that will be .necessary in each case will be to make allowance for vehicles that have gone out of commission during the twelve months, and to allow reasonable margins for new importations. The old registration marks enabled those who possessed a key to them <0 tell from what town or county a vehicle cr<me. The key below only gives a clue to postal districts. The North Island is divided into the following postal districts:— Auckland: Includes all the area to the northward of a line about twenty miles south of Auckland city. Thomas: Includes the Coromandel' peninsula and a strip of Bay of Plenty coastal country extending to Opotoki. Hamilton: Includes, roughly, the remainder of the Auckland provincial district not comprised in the twoforegoing districts. Gisborne: Includes the Poverty Bay district. . < New Plymouth: Roughly comprises Taranaki provincial district. Wanganui: Includes the stretch of country from the Patea River to the Rangitikei River and up to Ruapehu. Napier: Roughly comprises the Hawke’s Bay provincial district. Wellington: Includes all country south of a line starting at the tnoirth of the Rangitikei River, roughly following that river up to the Ruahines and then down to Woodville and eastward across to the sea. This district is almost identical with the Nos. 9 and 10 highway districts. Wellington district car numbers are as follow:— ■ 28,451—40,450. 55,001—56,600. 60.901—61,300. 62,901—03,600 The distribution so far as completed is as follows:—

So many of the skilled workmen in America now use their own cars Jo’ go to and from their work that the storage of the vehicles is one of the problems which the managers of large factories arc being called upon to tackle. At one motor works in Detroit (and not the largest either), no fewer than 3000 workmen’s cars have to be dealt with, and are accommodated in a’ large open-air garage.

1 CAR PLATES. Christchurch .... 1,001— 1,150 Dunedin 1,151— 1,300 Invercargill 1,301— 1,330 Nelson 1,331— 1,370 Grevniouth .. 1,371— 1,300 Oaniaru ....... ..... 1,301— 1,422 Greymouth .. 1,423—1,427 Oaniaru 1,751— 1,768 Thames 1,769— 1,812 Hamilton .... 1,901— 2000 Westport .... 2,146— 2,150 Gisborne .... 2,589— 2,591

Auckland .... 3,301—16,300 Hamilton .... 1,901—2,000 Thames ... 21,001—2-2,900 Gisborne ... 22,901—21,600 Wanganui ... 21,601—28,450 Wellington ... ... 28,151—10,150 Blenheim ... 40,451—11,600 Nelson ... 41,601 —13,150 Westport ... 43,151—13,450 Grevmouth ... ... 43,451—41,150 Christchurch ... 41,15 L—55,300 Hamilton ... 55,301. —55,1*1 Wellington .... Thames Hamilton ... 56,751—57,000 Napier ... 57,001—57,150 New Plymouth .. 57,151—57,320' Greyniouth .... ... 57,321—57,350 Invercargill ... New Plymouth .. 57,401—57,410 Gisborne . 57,411—57,450 New Plymouth .. 57,451—57,600 Timaru .. 57,601—57,750 Gisborne .. 57,751—58,300 Wanganui .. 58,301—5S,450 Auckland .. 58,451—60,150 Invercargill ... .. 60,451—00,600 Hamilton .. 60,601—60,900 Wellington .... .. 60,901—61,300 Thames .. 61,301—61,450 Oatnaru .. 61,451—61,500 Hamilton .. 61,601—61,750 Dunedin .. 61,751—61,900 Christchurch . .. 61,901—62,900 Wellington .... .. 62,901—63,600 Napier .. 63,601—63,750 Hamilton .. 63,751—63,900 Nelson .. 63,901—63,950 Hamilton .. 63,951—63,990 Napier .. 64,001 — 69,900 Hawc-ra .. 73,301—74,300 Stratford .. 74,301—75,000 Gore .. 75,001—75,600 Wanganui .. 75,601—75,750 Dunedin .. 75,751—75,900 Timaru .. 76 001—79,750 Oamaru .. 79,751—81,150 Dunedin .. 81,151—87,150 Invercargill .... .. 87,151—91,150 CYCLE PLATES. ' Greymouth 51— 53 Gore 54— 200 Wanganui 201— 210 Stratford 241— 400 Auckland ...i.... 401— 800 Wellington 801— 1,000 Auckland . 1,001— 2,400 Hamilton . 2,401— 3,600 Thames . 3,601— 4,000 Gisborne . 4,001— 4,400 , Wanganui . 4,401— 5,400, Wellington . 5,101— 8,400 Blenheim . 8,401— 8,800 ■ Nelson . 8,801— 9,200 Westport i . 9,201— 9,400 Greymouth . 9,401— 9,600 Christchurch .. . 9,601—12,400 Wellington . 12,401—13,000 Thames . 13,001—13,050 Napier . 13,051—13,100 • New Plymouth . 13,101—13,110 Greymouth . 13,111—13,120 Invercargill .... . 13,121—13,140 New Plymouth . 13,141—13,190 Timaru . 13,191—13,200 Christchurch .. . 13,201—13,800 Nelson . 13,801—14,000 Timaru v, . 14,001—14,020 Auckland . 14,021—14,400 Wanganui . 14,401—14,140 Dunedin . 11,441—14,460 Thames . 14,461—14,510 Auckland t 14,601—15,000 Napier 15,001-16,500 New Plymouth . 16,501—17,250 Haw era . 17,251—17,500 Timaru 17,501—18,500 Oamaru <.. 18,501—19,000 Dunedin 19,001—20,750 Invercaigill 20,751—21,750 Wellington 21,751—22,000 Christchurch ... 22,001—22,300 Hamilton 22,561—22,635 Wanganui 22,636- 22,685 \ Christchurch ... 22,751—23,250