MOTOR-CAR NUMBERS

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 916, 8 March 1930, Page 1

MOTOR-CAR NUMBERS

OLD PLATES TO GO ON TELEGRAPH POLE RELICENSING NEXT MONTH A new use has been found tor the old registration plates from motor-cars. Each year the plates are sent to Wellington from all parts of New Zealand, the numerals are cut off, and used for numbering telegraph poles throughout the Dominion. Formerly telegraph poles had their numbers painted on them, but it has been found that the enamel numbers from old motor-car registration plates are much more efficient and lasting. Incidentally, it has saved the Government quite a good amount of money. The relicensing of motor-cars will start this year about the middle of April. Post Office officials are at present busily engaged in preparing for the annual rush, which continues for about six weeks, ending on May 31. Plates this year will be black and white. The numbers will be the same. The Auckland district has from 1 to 30,000 allotted to it. Coloured registration plates first came into use in 1925. For the 192526 period the colour was green and white: for 1926-27, black and white; for orange and white; and for 1928-29, blue and white. Last year 4,500 motor-vehicles were licensed in Auckland City, and 1,600 in the country. There are 26,000 vehicles of all kinds which are liable for relicensing, but thousands of these do not come up every year. Some of them are obsolete, some are parked in garages, and others are waiting to to be sold. The licensing office will be the Wellesley Street Post Office, which has more accommodation than the chief office in Queen Street. A special staff will be employed to deal with the rush.