ROAD TRANSPORT.

Hokitika Guardian, 21 May 1924, Page 3

ROAD TRANSPORT.

BRITISH STATISTICS. Road transport of goods and passengers lias developed to such an extent that in l!)2.'i taxes were paid on no

fewer than 276,000 vehicles in England. In this figure arc included 78,3.18 ’buses and motor coaches, 188,236 goods vehicles, 13,032 fire-en- [ gines and ambulances (which are exempt from duty), 1081 road locomotives 1-120 tractors, and 78,318 hackney vehicles, ami, in addition, a number of motor-cycles and hire cars and travellers’ broughams licensed on the horse-power basis, 10,000 being an exceedingly mildest estimate thereof. Going on to deal with goods transport only, "The Commercial Motor” esti-

mates that an average capacity for vehicles is four tons moved per day and for haulage machines six tons, and that the average distances covered pec week are 210 miles for the former and 100 miles for the latter. These figures arc arbitrary, and may fairly be regarded as being, if anything, on the low side. It is usually estimated that every vehicle lias a working year of 280 (lavs.

Hero it will he apparent that, on an average, each vehicle moves 1120 tons per annum and each machine hauls 1680 tons per annum, and. therefore, that in a year motor vehicles convey and road locomotives and tractors haul over 200,000,000 tons, whilst the distance travelled by all types engaged on goods conveyance and haulage warks oiit at the colossal figure of nearly 2,110.000,000 miles. Tin- average load being two tons, this gives a haulage figure of up;ii'oximn!elv 1.300.000.000 'lour thousand three hundred million) lon-miles per annum accomplished by mad vehicles.