TRANSPORT CONDITIONS

Hokitika Guardian, 27 August 1931, Page 6

TRANSPORT CONDITIONS

THIRD PARTY INSURANCE RESULTS. WELLINGTON, August 25. The financial results of a year’s experience of motor third-party insurance are contained in the annual report • of the Transport Department. The net receipts from motorists, after paying the Post and Telegraph Department £5624 for collection totalled £235,006, and claims settled during the year amounted to £84,959 with an estimated outstanding liability of £97,950, The ratio of expenditure on claims to premium receipts is 77.83 per cent'. It is suggested that these figures should be accepted with the utmost caution, as it is impossible to state whether they represent normal conditionsor otherwise.

“Developments of the scheme are being closely studied with a view to ensuring that due equilibrium is maintained between premiums and benefits states the report, “but definite conclusions cannot be reached until more experience has been recorded.” The report also suggests that by comparison with other accident insuiuncc business there is a broad indication, which may be disproved, however, by further experience, that -premiums as they stand to-day are not too high. ROA D COMPETITION. ‘ Though there Was a heavy drop in Motor, registrations this year, the report shows that the average of motor vehicles on the roads increased last year to 187,708 compared with 177,486 in the previous year. It is shown that of £1,300,000 of petrol tax collected 61 per cent i s provided by motor-cars-and 28 per cervt by ti licks.

The Department’s investigations inJieate that approximately 50 per cent of the total cost of operating motor-ears in New Zealand is for purposes of a non-business .nature.

Contrasting road transport with rail and shipping, the report states that while rail transport showed' recessions in both . the passenger and goods brandies, organised motor transport showed an increase oi 12 per cent in tl e number of vehicles, 13 per cent in m l*’* age, 17 per cent in goods carried and 4 per cent in receipts, which totalled £1,947,000. There was a 2 per cent drop in the number of passengers carried, though the total was 26,000,000. Freights handled by coastal shipping during 1930 dropped 3 per cent c mpared with the previous year. Service cars ran 2000 more miles e"ch on the average, carrying 100 fe\v*e” passengers f r a net drop of 013 in receipts. A detailed analysis of the receipts from service cars shofi'.s that there has been relatively greater expansion long routes unserved hv railways, but that 67 per cent of the mileage was parallel with railways. Sixtv per cent of the receipts from organised motor transport services’ were from routes unserved by railways. LESSON OF ROAD ACCIDENTS Discussing road accidents, the report states, in comparing the figures for the yearendjed March 31 last with those of the previous year: “The striking aspect is unfortunately the increase of accidents by fifty-three (over 30 per cent) and the increase in deaths by sixty-two (over 33 per cent). If lessons can he drawn from the figures they may perhaps he that the increa'ed safety provided by four.-wheeled brakes does not appear to equalise the danger provided by the speed! possible from modern ears, and that the laws are ineffectual unless properly obeyed and enforced.”