TRANSPORT DEPARTMENT (ANNUAL REPORT OF).

Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives, 1932 Session I-II, H-40

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1932. NEW ZEALAND.

TRANSPORT DEPARTMENT (ANNUAL REPORT OF).

Presented to both Houses of the General Assembly by Leave.

The Right Hon. J. Gr. Coates, Minister of Transport, Wellington. Sir, —• Transport Department, Ist September, 1932. Herewith I have the honour to submit the annual report of the Transport Department for the year ended 31st March, 1932. I have, &c., J. S. Hunter, Commissioner of Transport.

INDEX.

Pages 1. Motor-vehicles Insurance (Third-party Risks) Act, 1928 .. .. .. .. .. .. 2-3 2. Motor-vehicles Act, 1924 .. .. . • • • • • • • • • • • • • 3-6 3. Heavy Motor-vehicle Regulations (Public Works Act, 1928).. .. .. .. .. 0-9 4. Motor-spirits Taxation Act, 1927 .. .. .. . • • • - ■ • • ■ • 9-11 5. Transport Licensing Act, 1931 .. .. .. .. •• •• -■ 11-17 6. Motor Accidents .. .. .. • • • • ■ • ■ • • • • ■ • ■ 18-20 7. General Survey of Transport .. .. .. .. • • • • • • • • • ■ 20-21 8. Land Transport Costs and National Production .. .. .. .. .. .. •• 21-24 9. Transport Legislation in other Countries .. .. .. .. .. . • • • - • 24 10. Appendix- — A. Statistical tables, &c.— Motor-vehicle Registrations. .. .. .. .. .. • • • • ■ • 24-27 Petrol-tax Allocation to Boroughs. .. .. .. .. • • • • ■ • 28 Applications under Transport Licensing Act, 1931. .. .. ■ • • • • • 28 Passenger-services Financial Statistics. .. .. .. .. .. • • ■ • 29 Expenditure on Roads, Streets, &c., 1930-31. .. .. .. • • • • ■ • 30 Heavy-traffic Fees, 1931-32. .. .. .. .. • • • • ■ • • • 31 Length of Roads and Bridges, 1923-32. .. .. .. .. . • .. • • 31-32 Motor Taxation, 1923-32. .. .. .. • • • • • • ■ • • • 32 Motor Accidents. .. .. .. • • • ■ • • ■ • • • • • 33 B. Personnel of Licensing Authorities under Transport Licensing Act, 1931. .. .. . • 36 C. Maps showing Transport Districts under Transport Licensing Act, 1931. .. .. •. 34 D. Map showing Passenger Services licensed under the Transport Licensing Act, 1931 .. .. At end

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REPORT,

1. MOTOR-VEHICLES INSURANCE (THIRD-PARTY RISKS) ACT, 1928. For the year ended 31st May, 1931, forty-one insurance concerns gave the prescribed notice to undertake business under the Act, and carried on business accordingly. The premiums for that year, excluding, of course, any relating to the 1931-32 licensing year, amounted to £248,656 6s. 5d., after taking into account adjustments between the insurance concerns and the insured on account of extra premiums and refunds due to changes in the classification of the vehicle and the cancellation of registrations. The commission of the Post and Telegraph Department, at the rate of 6d. per transaction, amounted to £5,791 135., leaving a balance of £242,864 13s. sd. Claims settled during the year, including costs, amounted to £98,454 Bs. Id., while the liability in respect of outstanding claims at the 31st May, 1931 (including costs), was estimated by the concerns carrying on the third-party business at £122,865 17s. lOd. Assuming that this estimated liability will eventuate, this means that the total payments on account of compensation (including costs) will amount to £221,320 ss. lid., or 91-13 per cent, of the net total of premiums received. For the two years ended 31st May, 1931, the premiums collected amounted to £489,287 4s. 2d. ; the commission of the Post and Telegraph Department amounted to £11,416 os. 4d., leaving a balance of £477,871 3s. lOd. The amounts involved in the settlement of claims and the estimated liability in respect of claims outstanding for the years ended 31st May, 1930 and 1931, are given hereunder : — 1. Year ended 31st May, 1930— £ s. d. (a) Claims paid .. .. .. .. .. 182,313 18 9 (b) Estimated liability in respect of outstanding claims .. 20,012 15 3 2. Year ended 31st May, 1931 — (a) Claims paid .. .. .. .. . ■ 98,454 8 1 (b) Estimated liability in respect of outstanding claims .. 122,865 17 10 Total £423,646 19 11 The amount of estimated liability in respect of outstanding claims for the 1929-30 year as at the 31st May, 1930, was apparently underestimated, as outstanding claims amounting to £97,354 os. 3d. were actually paid by the 31st May, 1931, while there still remained at that date an estimated liability in respect of outstandings of £20,012 15s. 3d. Assuming that the estimated liabilities will eventuate, this means that the total payments on account of compensation (including costs) will amount to 88-65 per cent, of the net total, of premiums received for the two years. Attention is specially directed to the fact that the statistics cover the period of two years only and must be interpreted with the utmost caution. It is quite impossible to state to what extent they represent normal or abnormal conditions. Experience over a longer period is the only way of ascertaining figures that will be typical of the third-party business in all its ramifications. The developments of the scheme are being closely studied with a view to ensuring that due equilibrium is maintained between premiums and benefits, but definite conclusions cannot be reached until more experience has been recorded. It is of interest to note that the percentage ratio of claims actually paid (including costs) to premiums for all classes of insurance undertaken in accordance with the provisions of the Accident Insurance Companies Act, 1908 —accident (including motor accidents), disease, employers' liability, &c.— was 54-03, 57-98, 60-62, 58-68, and 61-66 per cent, respectively for the five calendar years ending with 1930. . As the outstanding claims for any particular year would be paid during the succeeding or subsequent years, these figures are comparable, up to a point, with those for the third-party business alone, which show corresponding percentage ratios at 86-09 and 91-13 per cent, for 1930 and 1931, and a ratio of 88-65 per cent, for those years combined. Changes in Premium Rates. Notwithstanding the lack of conclusive data regarding the general level of the premiums, the results of the experience up to the 31st December, 1931, recorded by the third-party risks pool, which comprises organizations which account for approximately 90 per cent, of the whole of the third-party risks business, showed the following results : — (a) That the annual premium (155.) payable in respect of motor-cycles was too low, having regard to the risk involved in connection with these vehicles.

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(b) That the annual premium (£1 10s.) payable in respect of private motor-cars used for business purposes was too low, having regard to the risk involved in connection with these vehicles. (c) That the annual premium (£1) payable in respect of motor-cars used by the following individuals was too low : Commercial traveller, insurance agent or inspector, land and estate agent, manufacturer's agent, stock agent, station agent, salesman. (d) That the present annual premiums payable in respect of public motor-vehicles were too high, having regard to the risk involved in connection with these vehicles. The adjustments necessary to implement the above conclusions were made, and an amended scale of premiums was published in the New Zealand Gazette No. 29, of the 28th April of this year. The following schedule shows the premiums at present in force as compared with those previously charged: —

The effect of these reductions in respect of public motor-vehicles is as follows in certain typical cases : —

- i i 1 . The question as to whether ail all-round reduction should be made in the premiums as a part o± the scheme for the reduction of national costs was given careful consideration. The matter of the premiums, however, is entirely dependent on the results of experience, and a general reduction that could not be justified by experience might cause serious interference with the financial stability of the scheme. As pointed out above, the scheme is still in its infancy, and premium adjustments will probably be necessary from time to time in order to adjust anomalies as they are brought to light by experience^ The gazetting on the 29th October, 1931, of the agreement, referred to in the last report, whereby cover is provided (supplementary to that given by the Act) to meet the case of third parties injured or killed by motorists who subsequently cannot be traced has resulted in several claims being made under its terms. These claims are at present receiving attention. The work entailed in collecting the premiums payable under the Act continues to be handled by the Deputy Registrars of Motor-vehicles (Postmasters), and the absence of complaints may be taken as an indication that the Act is working smoothly so far as the machinery for the collection of premiums is concerned. 2. MOTOR-VEHICLES ACT, 1924. (a) Regulations. A reissue of the Motor-vehicle Regulations has been circulated in draft form for public criticism, and will be issued after full consideration has been given by the Government to the suggestions made as a result of this circulation. Attention is drawn to further remarks concerning the new draft of these regulations on page 9 of this report.

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Vehicle. | Annual Premium. -rr- i p tt t • i | On and after Up to 31st Class Number. j Kind of Vehicle. i ] gt j une? ] 932 ]y[ ay> 1932. £ s. d. £ s. d. Glass 1 .. Motor-cycles .. .. . • • • • • 1 0 0 0 15 0 Class 5 . . Private motor-cars used for business purposes .. 2 0 0 1 10 0 Class 8 .. (a) Public motor-vehicles, seven seats .. .. 7 0 0 7 0 0 (6) Public motor-vehicles, seven but not more than ten seats 7 0 0 7 10 0 (c) Public motor-vehicles, ten but not more than twenty- 1110 0 .12 0 0 six seats Each additional seat .. .. .. 0 10 0 100 (d) Public motor-vehicles, more than twenty-six seats . . 19 10 0 28 0 0 Each additional seat . . . . . . 0 5 0 0 10 0

Premiums. Size of Vehicle. Present. Previous. | Decrease. £ s. d. £ s. d. £ s. d. Seven seats.. .. •• 700 7 10 0 0 10 0 Fifteen seats .. .. 14 0 0 17 0 0 3 0 Thirty seats .. .. | 30 0 0 20 10 0 9 10 0

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(b) Registration of Motor-vehicles. The number of motor-vehicles registered during the year showed a marked decrease in comparison with the number of registrations effected during each of the six preceding years, as the following table shows :—

In last year's report it was stated that the registrations of vehicles manufactured in Great Britain did not during the year 1930-31 show the same percentage decrease as was the case with registrations of vehicles manufactured in other countries. These remarks apply also to the registrations effected during the year 1931-32. The following table indicates the country of manufacture and the number of vehicles registered during the financial years 1926-27 to 1931-32, inclusive : —•

Note. —The figures under the heading " Other Countries " include a large number of trailers, most of which are manufactured in the Dominion. The foregoing table affords definite evidence of a further halting tendency in the motor industry. The number of registrations of motor-cars was only half that recorded for the previous year and less than one-third of the number for 1929-30 ; figures for trucks declined by 35 per cent., and those for motor-cycles by the same amount. The analyses by country of manufacture direct attention to the swing-over from United States of America and Canada to Great Britain. In motor-cars the rapidity and magnitude of the swing-over is remarkable. The registrations in 1931-32 of motor-cars manufactured in Great Britain represented 71 per cent, of the number for 1929-30, while the same percentage for cars manufactured in the United States and Canada was only 21 per cent. The registrations of commercial vehicles, although of smaller magnitude, are of no less interest: the registrations for vehicles manufactured in Great Britain in 1931-32 represented 89 per cent, of the figure for 1929-30, against only 33 per cent, in the case of vehicles manufactured in the United States of America and Canada.

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Year ended 31st March, Cars. Commercial Vehicles. Cycles. Total Registrations. 1926 .. .. .. 18,811 4,409 5,130 28,350 1927 .. .. .. 16,439 4,692 5,464 26,595 1928 .. .. .. 12,531 3,399 4,560 20,490 1929 .. .. .. 18,739 4,167 4,768 27,674 1930 .. .. .. 20,802 5,745 4,300 30,847 1931 .. .. .. 12,378 4,113 3,139 19,630 1932 .. .. .. 6,151 2,656 2,058 10,865

n . United States of i „ , . Year ended 31st March, T! G ™ at America or ,, 0tl f r ! _ /^tal ±>ritain, Canada j Countries. j .Registrations. Motor-cars. 1927 .. .. | 2,185 13,623 631 16,439 1928 .. .. 2,172 :10,078 281 12,531 1929 .. .. 2,886 15,667 186 18,739 1930 .. .. 3,675 16,993 134 20,802 1931 .. .. 3,265 9,057 56 12,378 1932 .. .. 2,607 3,477 67 6,151 Totals .. 16,790 68,895 1,355 87,040 Commercial Vehicles. 1927 .. .. 630 [ 3,907 155 4,692 1928 .. .. 522 2,706 171 3,399 1929 .. .. 522 3,318 327 4,167 1930 .. .. 502 4,792 451 5,745 1931 .. .. 392 3.225 . 496 4,113 1932 .. .. 447 1,574 635 2,656 Totals .. 3,015 19,522 2,235 24,772 i ; Motor-cycles. 1927 .. .. 3,851 '1,592 21 5,464 1928 .. .. 3,479 1,067 14 4,560 1929 .. .. 3,794 949 25 4,768 1930 .. .. 3,486 802 12 4,300 1931 .. .. 2,581 548 10 3,139 1932 .. .. 1,567 483 8 2,058 Totals .. 18,758 5,441 90 24,289

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On the Ist June, 1931, the registrations of 12,785 vehicles lapsed owing to the licenses not having been renewed during the relicensing years 1929-30 and 1930-31. The following figures show the number of motor-vehicle registrations (including dormant registrations) as at the 31st March, 1932 : —

These figures do not include vehicles for which approximately 2,500 " demonstration " plates were issued to dealers during the year. The number of registrations cancelled between the coming into operation of the Motor-vehicles Act, 1924, and the 31st March, 1932, is as follows :—

Motor-vehicle Registration-plates. Alternative tenders were called for during the year for the manufacture of motor-registration-plates for periods of one year, three years, and five years. The tender submitted by the Precision Engineering Co., Ltd., of Wellington, was accepted for a period of three years. The plates for the year 1932-33 will have black numerals and border-line on a yellow ground. It is hardly necessary to draw attention to the fact that motor-vehicle registration-plates for the current licensing year differ from those of earlier years in features other than the colours, but since the reasons for, and advantages resulting from, such a change are not so obvious, a little information hereon may be of some interest. In the past considerable difficulty was experienced and numerous errors were made by the police, traffic officers, motorists, and by others concerned in determining the several figures on the plates of passing vehicles; consequently, from time to time requests were made for more legible plates. A new system was therefore introduced whereby better legibility has been obtained through new outlines in the figures, and by the use of a prefix letter to avoid the need for plates with six figures, When it is realized that the former plates carried figures that were alike in outline, all curved ones being based upon the figure 8, and that in the new system no two curves are alike, it will be admitted that this characteristic distinctiveness of the new figures will avoid confusion and must tend towards greatly improved legibility. Whereas formerly six figures of the series had similar top outlines and six had similar bottom outlines, it is now possible for a traffic officer or other observant person to correctly determine every figure on an oily or muddy plate when a relatively small portion only of each figure is visible. Further assistance has been given through the use of the distinctive and easily read prefix letter, which itself has a significant meaning and materially aids the Registrar in compiling the statistical records. Again, under the new system, an inexpensive, complete, and self-evident classification of all motorvehicles has been possible, e.g.— (a) The motor-car which, at the time of licensing, was declared to be " principally used for private purposes " now carries either a registration-plate with no prefix letter or one with the prefix " X." (b) A car in the hands of an agent or motor-vehicle dealer exhibits a plate with prefix letter "D." (c) The vehicle that is exempt from heavy-traffic fees has a plate with prefix " E." (id) Vehicles owned by the Crown have prefix letters " GOVT." (e) Taxis carry the prefix letter " T." (/) Passenger-service vehicles operating under the Transport Licensing Act, 1931, carry either a prefix " P " or " S " according to their classification. While in the commercial-truck group the vehicle that— (g) Is declared, to be not more than 2 tons gross weight when fully laden gets an " L " registration-plate, and (h) The heavier vehicles which are subject to heavy-traffic tax carry a plate with the prefix letter " H."

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Kind of Vehicle. ! North Island. ] South Island. 1 Dominion Total. ■' i -■ ■■ ■ I I . . I ; . Cars .. .. .. .. 98,594 55,701 154,295 Commercial vehicles .. .. 26,666 13,414- 40,080 Cycles .. .. .. 21,558 i 14,299 35,857 i _ Totals .. .. 146,818 1 83,414 230,232

Kind of Vehicle. North Island. South Island. Dominion Total. Cars .. .. .. .. 12,369 7,110 19,479 Commercial vehicles .. .. 5,371 2,385 7,756 Cycles .. .. .. 9,854 7,526 J 17,380 Totals .. .. 27,594 17,021 : 44,615 !

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Vehicles actually on the Road. The number of " live " registrations on the register kept in accordance with the provisions of the Motor-vehicles Act, 1924, may be taken as a reasonable indication of the number of vehicles actually on the road. The numbers of these " live " registrations have been estimated for each month, and the monthly averages for the twelve months ended 31st March, 1930, 1931, and 1932, are given hereunder :—

N.B. Service-oars designed to carry not more than nine persons are included with motor-cars, while those designed to carry more than nine persons are included with omnibuses. The above figures show a decrease of 3,932 vehicles of all classes during the year ended 31st March, 1932, as compared with the previous year. The figures for each class of vehicle indicate two broad tendencies —firstly, an increase in the traffic of commercial vehicles; and, secondly, a decrease in the traffic of motor-cars and motor-cycles. There were increases of 938 in trucks, 237 in trailers, and 124 in tractors, and decreases of 3,518 and 1,710 in the averages relating to motor-cars and motorcycles. 3. PUBLIC WORKS ACT, 1928. (So FAR AS IT RELATES TO HEAVY TRAFFIC ON MOTOR-VEHICLES.) The Motor-lorry Regulations, originally issued in 1925, have been reissued this year under the new title of " Heavy Motor-vehicle Regulations, 1932." _ _ A heavy motor-vehicle is defined as any motor-vehicle, other than a private motor-car, which with the load it is at any time carrying weighs more than 2 tons. Regulations as to the use of heavy motor-vehicles were'first gazetted in March, 1925. These regulations were designed principally for the protection of the roads of the Dominion, and the main provisions were as follows (1) The classification of heavy motor-vehicles according to their gross weights, and the payment of heavy-traffic fees by the operators of these vehicles, ranging from £5 to £75 per annum, according to the class of the vehicle. (2) The fixing of speed-limits for heavy motor-vehicles, based principally on gross weight and type of tires. . . (3) The classification of the roads and streets of New Zealand according to their suitability for use by heavy motor-vehicles of various gross weights. Since 1925 definite advances have been made in the development of the motor-vehicle in practically every department, but particularly as regards tires. In the year 1924-25 solid or semi-solid tires were beino- used on all commercial trucks above 2 tons rated pay-load capacity, and the balloon tire was not avaifable in New Zealand. In the year 1926 62 per cent, of the total amount collected as heavytraffic fees was in respect of vehicles with solid tires, while in 1932 this percentage had decreased to 20 per cent. . Over the same period there has also been a marked improvement m the roadmg conditions m tiie Dominion, and this improvement has been most marked on the main-highway system, which comprises approximately 11,000 miles of the most important rural roads and forms the backbone of the rural roading system of this country. _ These two important developments in road transport —viz., improvements to the heavy motorvehicle and improvements to the roads—had made the 1 enforcement of the original Heavy Motorlorry Regulations as regards speed-restrictions practically impossible, and it was therefore decided to bring out a new set of regulations more in line with modern conditions. After extensive investigations, draft regulations were prepared and forwarded to all interested parties for consideration and constructive criticism. A conference representative of Government Departments, local bodies, motor interests, and the New Zealand Society of Civil Engineers, was then held to consider the regulations in detail, and in February, 1932, they were finally gazetted. The main provisions relate to speed and weight of heavy motor-vehicles, and the following schedules show the details. For purposes of comparison, the speed schedule shows the previous speed-limits and those allowed under the present regulations.

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Monthly Averages. Vehicle. * g j ; 1930. 1931. j 1932. Motor-cars •• 125,013 134,407 130,889 Trucks .. .. .. .. 23,512 25,294 26,232 Omnibuses .. .. •• •• 1,029 1,040 1,048 Traction-engines .. .. •• •• 173 117 123 Trailers .... 755 923 1,160 Tractors!: 293 302 426 Motor-cycles .. .. •• •• 26,266 25,167 23,487 Other motor-vehicles .. .. .. 445 458 441 Totals 177,486 187,708 183,776

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Table of Speed-restrictions .—Heavy Motor-vehicles all Tires of which are Pneumatic.

For heavy motor-vehicles any tire of which was solid rubber the Motor-lorry Regulations, 1927, provided for speeds ranging from twenty miles per hour to twelve miles per hour, according to gross weight, while the present Heavy Motor-vehicle Regulations provide for a maximum speed of twelve miles per hour for all solid-tired motor-lorries.

Table of Load-limits.

Classification of Roads. The classification ol roads in New Zealand is based on restriction of the maximum gross loads of motor-vehicles in accordance with the suitability of the road, and under the Heavy Motor-vehicle Regulations all road-controlling authorities have the power to classify the roads under their control. When the Transport Department was set up in 1929, only 27 per cent, of the rural roads of the Dominion were classified. A number of road-controlling authorities were actually not aware of their powers in this direction, and even where road-classification had been effected the restrictions were, in many cases, not enforced. The importance of road-classification in relation to road transport costs cannot be over emphasized, and the following finding made by the American Road-builders' Association stresses this fact: — " Vast sums of money could be saved each year by a system of highway classification. Over-designing for light-traffic routes is just as uneconomical as under-designing for heavytraffic routes. Traffic studies readily indicate the roads on which heavy truck loads occur infrequently, and such loads can be prohibited without inconvenience. The soundness and economy of street and highway classification on the basis of volume and type of traffic and maximum loads are obvious." During the past year considerable progress has been made in bringing about definite action by the various road-controlling authorities in regard to road-classification, and the majority of County Councils are now fully alive to the importance of their powers in this direction. In the Department's annual report for the year 1931 the general principles of road-classification were fully dealt with, and it was pointed out that Class 111 roads available for gross loads of 6| tons on two-axled motor-vehicles should be adequate to meet all the requirements of road transport on the rural roads of the Dominion. This view was unanimously endorsed by the conference of experts convened to consider the Heavy Motor-vehicle Regulations, and many road-controlling authorities are now adopting Class 111 as the maximum standard for the rural roads under their control. The general adoption of this standard as a maximum for rural roads will have a most important and far-reaching effect on road transport costs, and the following facts give some indication of the effect on the costs of road-construction alone.

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Speed-limits. Maximum Gross Weight _ ... „ . , . , and Class of Heavy Passenger-vehicles. Goods-vehicles. Motor-vehicle. ; Restrictions ' Restrictions Restrictions Restrictions under Motor-lorry under Present . under Motor-lorry under Present Regulations, 1927. i Regulations. Regulations, 1927. Regulations. M.p.h. M.p.h. M.p.h. M.p.h. 21 tons, Class A .. .. 30 35 24-0 j 25 3| tons, Classes B and C .. 27 - 35 21-6 ! 25 4\ tons, Classes D and E .. 24 35 19-2 25 5 tons, Class F .. .. 24 25 19-2 20 6J tons, Classes G, H, I .. 21 25 16-8 20 7 tons, Class J .. .. 21 20 16-8 j 15 15 tons, Classes K to Q .. ' 18 | 20 14-4 j 15 i _—

SSZS&fcSSSZ. H «"' ■—«fe Classification of Road. Gross Weight. Axle Weight. Gross Weight. Axle Weight. Tons. Tons. Tons. Tons. Unclassified .. .. 10-0 8-0 15-0 6-0 Class II .. .. 8-0 6-4 12-0 4-8 Class III .. .. 6-5 5-2 10-0 4-0 Class IV .. .. 4-5 3-6 6-5 2-6 Class V .. .. 3-0 2-4 4-5 1-8

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The rural roading system of the Dominion comprises 46,088 miles of formed roads, made up as folloWS Miles. Dustless surfaced roads .. .. •• •• •• on'iiq Metal- or gravel-surfaced roads .. .. •• •• • • Unsurfaced roads .. .. • • • • • ■ • ■ " ' Total .. 46 > 088 As the result of investigations carried out by the Department, it is estimated that the average surface thickness of the metal- or gravel-surfaced roads is under 4 in., and the following table shows the surface thickness required for the various allowable gross loads under the different c asses .

Assuming that the average width of metal surface is 11 ft., and the present average thickness of the surface is 4 in., then, estimating the cost of metal or gravel in place at 10s. per cubic yard, the cost of bringing the metal- or gravel-surfaced roads up to the various standards is shown m the following table

The above figures show that it would cost this country over 14 million pounds, or just under 2| million pounds per annum in capital charges on metal or gravel alone, to strengthen the surfaced rural roads so that they would be suitable for regular gross loads of 10 tons on two-axled heavy motor-vehicles. If, however, the maximum standard aimed at is Class 111, these ultimate costs would be halved, assuming that all the surfaced roads were brought to that standard ; but if the roadclassification is based on road-transport requirements, then Class IV and Class V roads will form a large proportion of the total mileage and the capital costs would be further materially reduced. In order that this problem of road standards may be attacked, it is essential that a comprehensive road census be carried out, and from the information derived from such a, census it would then be possible to lay down a definite national scheme of road-classification which, as previously pointed out, would result, in very substantial savings in road-construction costs without materially affecting the efficiency of road transport. In this connection it might be pointed out that the taking of a road census would be an eminently suitable work for the unemployed, supervised by Government and local-body engineers. The present position as regards classification of the rural roads is as under .

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Allowable Gross Weights Maximum allowable Axle- Q om p ac ted Thickness of Classification of Road. for Two-axled Heavy , loads for Two-axled Surface required. Motor-vehicles. | Heavy Motor-vehicles. | Tons. Tons. Inches. Unclassified.. .. .. 10-0 , 7 Class II 8-0 • 6-4 ' Class III ., .. .. 6-5 ! 5-2 £ Class IV 4-5 ; 3-$ ° Clasg Y 3-0 2-4 4 I ' ! —-

" " 11 1 " Ill II I -I n - f "" Additional Sinking Fund Total Canital [Standard of Road and >r Cost Interest ch arges based on Total Capital Cost ™ s P for allowable Gross Weight. rennired per Mlle ' wr Mile a ? .? lg T^? rS 30,219 Miles, Miles, required F Ci Life per Mile. per Mile. ' * ' I | Unclassified (10 tons) .. 4 | 0 24 50-2 I'fifS'ooo Class II (8 tons) .. 720 j 360 18 37-6 10,875 000 M83,000 Class III (6| tons) .. 480 240 12 25-1 1 '122,000 Class IV (4f tons) .. 240 120 : 6 12-5 3,625,000 561,000 Class V (3 tons) .. . • • • | - i I

Class II. Class III. j Class IV. Class V. Total. Miles. ' Miles. I Miles. Miles. Miles. North Island 1,084- i 3,183 5,801 j 2,585 12,653 South Island .. .. 1,093 , 3,102 1,936 325 6,466 Totals .. 2J77 6,285 . j 7,737 . j 2,910 19,109. 1 '

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Maintenance of Roads. The maintenance of a road may be defined as the amount of work and materials required to keep it as nearly as possible in the same condition as it was when it was originally constructed. Applying this definition to the metal- or gravel-road surfaces of this country, it is found that there has been a general deterioration amounting to approximately 33 per cent., and that the cost of restoring these surfaces to their original conditions would amount to approximately £5,000,000. Owing to the present financial stringency, the amount of money available for road-maintenance this year has been seriously curtailed, and it appears that, provided traffic conditions remain the same, this action will mean that the deterioration of the road surfaces will be accelerated. As pointed out in previous reports, the condition of road-surfaces has a very material effect on motor-vehicle operating costs, and investigations carried out in the United States show that these costs are 8 per cent, higher on ordinary gravel than on best gravel surfaces. It is estimated that the total annual running costs for motor-vehicles in this country, exclusive of capital charges, license fees, and insurances, amount to approximately £16,000,000, and of this amount approximately £10,000,000 is expended in travelling on the rural roads. Taking into account the dustless surfaced roads and the 8-per-cent. increase in running costs, due to deteriorated surfaces, it is estimated that the extra cost to the motor operator, due to reduced maintenance, would, provided the total annual motor-vehicle mileage remained the same, amount to approximately £500,000. The damages to gravel road-surfaces are due to climatic conditions and traffic, and it is estimated that as a general average the damage due to the former cause would amount to approximately 0-25 per cent, of the total. It is further estimated, as the result of a careful investigation, that a reduction in the average speed of motor-vehicles on rural roads by five miles per hour would result in a reduction in maintenance costs by over £250,000 per annum. In view of the above facts the Department, in circularizing the proposed reprint of the Motorvehicle Regulations, has included for consideration a maximum speed-restriction of forty miles per hour for all motor-vehicles, as it is considered that, apart altogether from the damage consideration, such a restriction would have a most beneficial effect in reducing the damage to road-surfaces by motor-vehicle traffic. Further, it is not considered that such a restriction would materially interfere with road transport, seeing that all commercial vehicles over 2 tons in weight are already subjected to speed-restrictions considerably below forty miles per hour. The motor-vehicle operators themselves should realize that speed and weight restrictions are recommended only after very careful consideration, and that the cardinal principle of the " greater good to the greater number "is the prime consideration in any of these recommendations. To sum up, it may be stated that, with the limited funds available, unrestricted use of the rural roads by motor-vehicles will undoubtedly mean that these road-surfaces will rapidly deteriorate, and untimately the motorist will, of necessity, be restricted both as to speed and weight, while road transport costs will be materially increased. On the other hand, with reasonable restrictions of weight and speeds, the road-surfaces will be conserved, and road-transport costs kept at a reasonable figure, both as to vehicle-operation and road-maintenance. The main point is that excessive speeds mean high motoroperating costs, and high road-maintenance costs. 4. MOTOR-SPIRITS TAXATION ACT, 1927. The motor-spirits tax was increased from 6d. to Bd. per gallon as from the 7th October, 1931. The following data show the yield from and distribution of the petrol-tax for the year ended 31st March, 1932. The figures regarding the net yield for previous years are given for comparative purposes : — (a) Yield. £ Gross yield .. .. .. .. .. .. 1,817,890 Deductions— Refunds and cost of making same.. .. .. .. 140,370 Net yield .. .. .. .. .. £1,677,520 Net Yield (i.e., Oross Yield less Refunds), Year ended 31st March. £ 1928 .. .. .. . .. .. .. .. 143,516* 1929 .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 802,232 1930 .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 961,907 1931 .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 1,314,450f 1932 1,677,520f Total since inception of tax .. .. .. .. £4,899,625 * Part year only. Increase front 4d. to 6d. per gallon as from 22nd July, 1930. t Increase from 6d. to Bd. per gallon as from 7th October, 1931. There has been an increase in the applications for refunds since the tax was increased to Bd. There are two main reasons for this —firstly, the financial stringency due to the prevailing depression, and, secondly, the increase in the tax, which has now made it worth while for people to claim refunds that they did not worry about when the tax was 6d.

2—H. 40.

9

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(b) Distribution. The distribution of the net yield of the petrol-tax was as follows for the year ended 31st March, 1932 £ Main Highways Board .. .. .. .. ... 1,231,202 Boroughs (population of 6,000 and over) .. .. .. 107,061 Consolidated Fund .. .. .. .. .. 321,685 Commission to Customs Department for collection .. .. 17,572 Total .. .... .. .. .. £1,677,520 N.B.'—After the Ist August, 1930, the proportion of the petrol-tax paid to boroughs with populations of 6,000 and over was reduced from 8 per cent, to 5 J per cent, (section:3B, Finance Act, 1930). The 8 per cent, was reinstated as from the Ist April, 1931. The distribution of the petrol-tax amongst boroughs in accordance with section 9 (1) (b) of the Motor-spirits Taxation Act, 1927, for the year ended 31st March, 1932, together with cumulative figures showing the total distribution from the inception of the petrol-tax up to the 31st March, 1932, is given in Table 7 in the Appendix. (c) Classification according to Vehicles. The following figures show the net yield from the petrol-tax for the year ended 31st March, 1931, split up according to the nature of the vehicle in which the motor-spirits was consumed : —

N.B. —Service-cars designed to carry not more than nines persons are included with motor-cars, while those designed to carry more than nine persons are included with omnibuses. Motor-spirits in respect of which refunds of the tax were made have not been included above. The above figures are obviously inconclusive as evidence of the incidence of the petrol-tax. Like all taxes, this one may shift either backwards to the producers of the benzine, or forward to the consumers of motor-transport services, while a certain amount of the burden may be carried for a time by the operators of motor transport services. In the long-run, the petrol-tax will tend to be shifted forward to the consumers of motor-transport services, and, in so far as the increased cost of these services causes a diminution in the demand for them, a proportion of the tax will also in the long-run be cast upon the producers of motor-vehicles and equipment, in the form of losses of business consequent on a diminished demand. For the year ended 31st March, 1932, passenger-transport effected by motor-cars, motoromnibuses, and motor-cycles contributed £69 out of every £100 of the total yield from the petrol-tax, against £31 out of every £100 from trucks. Thus the petrol-tax derived from the carriage of passengers in motor-vehicles is over twice that derived from the transportation of commodities. A further analysis of the motives lying behind the movement of persons (impossible at this stage) would shed further light on this question. Investigations by the Department indicate that approximately 50 per cent, of the total cost of operating motor-cars in New Zealand is for purposes of a non-business nature. Refunds of Duty. Refunds of duty may be claimed by all persons using motor-spirits for any purpose other than as fuel for motor-vehicles in respect of which annual license fees are payable in terms of the Motorvehicles Act, 1924. The refunds are made by the Registrar of Motor-vehicles (the Secretary of the Post and Telegraph Department). The undermentioned figures show the number and total amount of claims paid each year since the inception of the tax : —

The increase of 44 per cent, in the number of claims made during the year 1931 as compared with the previous year is probably due partly to the financial stringency, and partly to the fact that the duty on motor-spirits was increased in July, 1930, from 4d. to 6d! per gallon.

10

Kind of Vehicle. Estimated Amount. Percentage of Total. £ Per Cent. Motor-cars .. .. .. .. .. .. 1,045,000 62-31 Trucks .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 515,000 30-71 Omnibuses .. .. .. .. .. .. 60,000 3-58 Motor-cycles .. .. .. .. .. .. 52,000 | 3-10 Balance, covering other motor-vehicles and other uses of motor- 5,000 0-30 spirits for which refunds were not claimed Total .. .. .. .. .. 1,677,000 100-00

Year. Number of Claims. Amount refunded. ' £ 1928 .. .. .. .. ... 11,101 34,299 1929 .. .. .. .. .. 19,814 60,834 1930 .. .. .. .. .. 25,797 83,741 1931 .. .. .. .. .. 37,116 132,150

H —40.

The particulars of the claims paid during each of the quarterly periods in 1931 are as follows :—

5. TRANSPORT LICENSING ACT, 1931. The Transport Licensing Act, which became law on the 11th November, 1931, marks the most important step that has been taken up to the present in the direction of meeting the problems that have arisen as a result of the growing competition in the field of transport in the Dominion. The principle upon which the Act is based—viz., regulation of the public motor industry with the object of securing (a) compulsory co-ordination between it and the other forms of transport, and (6) the organization of the public motor industry on the lines calculated to yield the maximun utility from its use —is now recognized and applied throughout practically the whole world. It was first applied in New Zealand in the field of suburban passenger-transport by the provisions of the Motor-omnibus Traffic Act, 1926. Prior to the Transport Licensing Act coming into operation all passenger-services were required to procure " plying for hire " licenses from Borough Councils, and those services carried on in motor-omnibus districts under the Motor-omnibus Traffic Act, 1926, could operate only in accordance with licenses granted under that Act. The " plying for hire " licenses were under the jurisdiction of the local authority in which the service was plied for hire, but in practice were enforced by the two terminal local bodies only. Fees ranging up to £2 10s. per annum were payable for each license. These licenses could be refused solely in cases where the applicant was of disreputable character, and were of no value whatsoever as a weapon for securing economic regulation of the services. Broadly speaking, the Motor-omnibus Traffic Act was for the purpose of eliminating wasteful competition between omnibuses and electric trams, and, although it was in force mainly in those urban centres where electric tramways were in existence, its provisions were also in force in bigger centres, such as Hamilton, Palmerston North, and Timaru, where tramways did not exist. In most cases the licensing authorities under this Act were the local authorities which operated the tramways, with the result that so long as the main objective—viz., the elimination of wasteful competition with the tramways —was attained the regulatory powers dealing with the field of omnibus passenger-traffic were not universally enforced. Only short-distance services which charged fares of 2s. or under for any journey, counted one way only, and only the bigger vehicles designed for the carriage of more than seven persons, including the driver, were covered. A description of the field of public passenger-transport by motor-vehicles at the time regulation in the public interest was adopted is characterized by two outstanding facts. On the one hand, there was the relatively small field of urban transport, where the seed of regulation was sown six years ago and the fruits of co-ordination have already been enjoyed, and where the benefits of experience were available as an aid in administration. On the other hand, there were those considerable sections of omnibus services which were not embraced by the Motor-omnibus Traffic Act, and the whole field of service-cars, where unregulated competition held sway, with all its attendant evils of financial instability, duplicated services, unnecessary wear-and-tear on roads, irregular and unsatisfactory services, wasteful concentration of services on " fat " routes, and avoidance of " lean " or developmental routes, &e. Combined with this morass of economic evils was the fact that the services were distributed from one end of the Dominion to the other. ' (a) PASSENGER SERVICES. Scope op Act. 1. Services covered. — Provision is made whereby no passenger-service may be operated on or after the " appointed day " unless such service is authorized by a passenger-service license. The following classes of service do not require passenger-service licenses : — (a) Taxis, provided they do not run on defined routes ; (b) Services for the carriage of school-children and their teachers ; and (c) The carriage of private parties on special occasions where the vehicle is hired as a whole. Factors to be taken into Account in the Consideration of Applications for Licenses.—The extent to which the provisions of the Act change the method of entry into the passenger-transport industry is indicated by the factors which are required to be considered in connection with applications for licenses.

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Quarter. j Number of Claims. Amount refunded. £ March .. .. .. .. .. 9,474 37,652 June .. .. .. .. .. 10,111 37,074 September .. .. .. .. 8,098 28,047 December .. .. .. .. 9,433 29,377

H.~ 40.

Primarily, two broad tests are applied : Firstly, is the proposed service necessary or desirable in the public interest; and, secondly, do the needs of the district or districts as a whole in relation to passenger-transport warrant the service ? If these two tests are fulfilled, the Act provides that Licensing Authorities shall consider the following " (a) The financial ability of the applicant to carry on the proposed service, and the like lihood of his carrying it on satisfactorily : " (b) Time-tables or frequency of the proposed service : " (c) The fares proposed to be charged or made for the carriage of passengers : "(d) The transport services of any kind, whether by land or water, already provided in respect of the localities to be served and in respect of the proposed routes : " (e) The transport requirements of such localities, including such requirements in respect of the carriage of mails : " (/) The vehicles proposed to be used in connection with the service : " (g) The conditions of roads and streets to be traversed on the route or routes, and any restrictions of load or speed, or other lawful restrictions affecting vehicles of the type or class proposed to be used, including restrictions arising out of the clsasification of roads and streets under section 166 of the Public Works Act, 1928 : " (h) Any evidence and representations received by it at the public sitting, and any representations otherwise made by the Government Railways Board, local authorities, or other public bodies, or any persons carrying on transport services of any kind (whether by land or water) likely to be affected, and any representations contained in any petition presented to it signed by not fewer than twenty-five adult residents of any locality proposed to be served : " Provided that before taking into consideration any adverse representations made otherwise than at the public sitting the Licensing Authority shall give the applicant and all other persons likely to be affected a reasonable opportunity to reply to such representations." The Act does not provide for compensation in cases where licenses are not granted, but section 28 provides that a license shall not be refused in any case where the applicant, having made his application before the appointed day, satisfies the Licensing Authority : — " (a) That at the passing of this Act and at the date of his application the applicant was carrying on, pursuant to a license under the Motor-omnibus Traffic Act, 1926, the service in respect of which the application is made ; or " (b) That on the first day of April, nineteen hundred and thirty-one, and continuously thereafter until the date of his application, the applicant was, otherwise than pursuant to a license under the Motor-omnibus Traffic Act, 1926, lawfully carrying on the service in respect of which the application is made, and that such service was not carried on in competition with a licensed motor-omnibus service ; or " (c) That the applicant, being a person lawfully carrying on a passenger-service in competition with a licensed motor-omnibus service, had established such a passenger-service before the passing of the Motor-omnibus Traffic Act, 1926, and had continuously carried on such service from its establishment until the date of his application ; or " (d) In the case of an application for a license in respect of a seasonal service, that the applicant lawfully and continuously carried on siibstantially the same service during the two seasons immediately preceding the appointed day, or where that day falls in such a season that the applicant is then uninterruptedly carrying on such service and substantially so carried it on during the whole of the immediately preceding season : " Provided that no such service shall be deemed to have ceased to be continuously carried on by reason of any interruption by flood, closing of roads or streets, or any other cause whatever beyond the control of the applicant." Matters to be fixed by Licensing Authorities. Section 30 of the Act provides that in granting any passenger-service license the Licensing Authority shall prescribe : — " (a) The class of license (whether continuous, seasonal, or temporary) and the period or occasion of the license : " (6) The class and number of passenger-service vehicles to be used in connection with the service, and the seating and other accommodation for passengers of each such vehicle by reference to & minimum number or a maximum number or to both such numbers : "(c) A date not later than which the service shall be commenced : " (d) The localities to be served and the route or routes to be traversed : " (e) The time-tables or frequency of service to be observed : " (/) The fares to be charged for the carriage of passengers and (where goods are also to be carried) the charges to be made for the carriage of goods : " (g) Such other matters and conditions as may be prescribed by regulations under this Act, or as the licensing authority thinks proper."

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In addition to the above provisions, which, of course, apply to individual services, the Licensing Authority is empowered, in cases where desirable in the public interest, to fix the fares and timetables of any service so as to prevent wasteful competition with alternative forms of transport of any kind. The protection afforded to electric tramways in the Motor-omnibus Traffic Act, 1926, against the competition of motor-omnibuses is carried forward in the provisions of the Act. The Licensing Authority must, where necessary, so fix the fares for any passenger-service that the fares charged for the carriage of adult passengers over any route or section thereof within an area that may be conveniently served in whole or in part by an existing tramway service shall be at least 2d. more than the corresponding fare charged in respect of the tramway service. Right of Appeal. Provision is made whereby appeal may be made to a specially constituted Transport Appeal Board against the decision of any Licensing Authority. Machinery. Immediately after the passing of the Act, steps were taken to create the necessary machinery as follows :— 1. Appointed Day. —This was fixed as the Ist March, 1932. 2. Transport Districts. —The ten districts shown in the maps in the Appendix were created, and with the four Metropolitan Districts (Auckland Transport Board Area, Wellington City, Christchurch Tramway District, and Dunedin City) made fourteen districts altogether. 3. Personnel of Licensing Authorities.—The gentlemen whose names are given in the statement at the back of the statistical tables in the Appendix were appointed members of the various Licensing Authorities. 4. General.-—Procedure regarding applications for licenses, licenses, Appeal Board, fees and allowances to members of Licensing Authorities and Appeal Board, and various other matters of a machinery nature. 5. Fees.—The fees were fixed on a basis calculated to yield sufficient revenue to cover the costs of administration, and are as follows : — Nature. Amount. £ s. d. (a) lo accompany each application for continuous and seasonal licenses ..300 (b) To accompany each application for temporary license . . .. ..026 (c) On issue of continuous and seasonal license .. .. .. ..200 (d) To accompany each application for a certificate of fitness— (i) Contract vehicle .. .. .. .. ..200 (ii) Vehicle to be used under a passenger-service license .. ..300 (iii) Vehicle licensed under Motor-omnibus Traffic Act .. . . 215 0 (e) To accompany applications for temporary permit .. .. ..026 6. Financial Statistical.—Section 37 of the Transport Licensing Act provides that regulations may be made prescribing the accounts and records to be kept by licensees, and giving the Minister of Transport power to ask for such information and data as may be necessary from time to time. The fundamental object of these provisions is to provide machinery whereby the Minister may be in constant and close touch with the operation of passenger-services and their financial position, so that steps may be taken to ensure that the savings resulting from the operation of the Act are passed on to the public in the form of reduced fares or better services. When it is remembered that the long-run effect of the provisions of the Act will be to confer valuable monopoly powers on operators, it will be recognized that a comprehensive and reliable system of financial and statistical returns will provide the means of safeguarding the interests of the public. Financial and Opebating Statistics, Year ended 31st Mabch, 1931. Table No. 9 in the Appendix gives detailed statistics relating to the operation of passengerservices in the Dominion during the year ended 31st March, 1931. These data were collected on returns which accompanied applications for passenger-service licenses, and although it was found that, many operators had incomplete records, and a considerable amount of estimation was necessary, it would appear that the total figures give a reasonably accurate picture of the position in each district. The fact that it has been impossible to classify the financial and operating data according to the sizes of the different vehicles detracts considerably from the usefulness of the figures, and makes the averages computed in connection with the revenue and operating costs rather non-typical of actual conditions. The figures, however, may be taken as sufficiently accurate to offer a general basis of comparison with similar figures which will be collected in the future. An examination of the details in Table No. 9 reveals the following principal features : 1. Capital.—The capital invested in the public motor passenger-transport industry amounts to just under £700,000, of which the sum of £70,000 represents borrowed money. Attention is directed to the fact that the unpaid purchase-money on vehicles held under the hire-purchase system has not

13

H.—4o.

been counted in with the borrowed money. Excess of revenue over expenditure for the year amounted to £77,749, representing a return of 11-11 per cent, on the capital invested. 2. Revenue. —The total revenue for the year was recorded as £898,572, of which passenger fares counted for £834,435, or 92-86 per cent. ; mail contracts for £28,340, or 3-15 per cent. ; and the carriage of goods and parcels for £35,797, or 3-99 per cent. The average fare paid per passenger was 15-26 d., and the average number of passengers carried per vehicle-mile was 1-63. 3. Operating Costs. —The following represents a summary of the total operating costs : —

Operating Costs, Year ended 31st March, 1931.

The relatively large proportion of the total operating costs accounted for by the running costs directs attention to an important principle in connection with the operating costs of motor-vehicles, and gives some idea of the savings which can be effected by eliminating unnecessary vehicle mileage. Operating Costs and Revenue Averages per Vehicle Mile. —The following table shows the average operating costs and the average revenue per vehicle-mile for all the services in the various districts : —

Table showing Revenue and Operating Costs per Vehicle-mile.

It will be observed that, while in the majority of districts the revenue and operating costs are more or less constant and call for little or no comment, the corresponding figures in Nos. 2 and 8 Districts are relatively high, while, conversely, Nos. 4 and 7 Districts show figures below the average. The higher revenue and operating costs in the aforementioned districts would appear to be due to the use of a greater proportion of heavy vehicles of high carrying-capacity, with correspondingly high operating costs.

14

T . . , Percentage of Item. Amount. Total Running costs — £ Petrol and lubricants .. .. .. .. .. 230,603 28-09 Tires 37,104 4-52 Maintenance and repairs .. .. .. 91,685 11-18 Depreciation .. .. .. .. . . 95,507 11-63 Total .. .. .. .. .. 454,899 55-42 Standing charges— License fees .. .. .. . ■ •• •• 29,189 3-56 Wages (including drawings of proprietors) .. .. 216,207 26-34 Insurance .. •• •• •• •• 24,410 2-97 Garage fees .. . • • • . • • • • • 7,830 0 ■ 95 Total .. .. .. .. .. 277,636 33-82 General overhead and management expenses, &c. .. .. 88,288 10-76 Grand total .. .. .. .. 820,823 100-00

Revenue per Vehicle-mile. Operating Cost per Vehicle-mile. District. j 4 ~ Passen- , Goodg _ Running Standing 0verhead , Total . gers. I Costs. Charges. d. d. d. d. d. d. d. d. N I Central .. 9"173 0*139 0*303 9*615 4*876 2*711 1*478 9*065 SI Central .. 9*783 0*287 0*451 10*521 5*342 2*419 0*949 8*710 No 1 .. 8*626 0*914 0*718 10*258 5*067 2*974 0*352 8*393 No 2 .. 16*045 0*099 0*117 16*261 7*877 5*775 1*117 14*769 No 3 .. 9*634 0*255 0*370 10*259 5*410 3*458 0*971 9*839 No 4 .. 6*592 0*324 0*366 7*282 3*963 2*300 0*910 7*173 No 5 8*811 0*742 0*434 9*987 4*854 3*489 1*096 9*439 No 6 .. 9*980 0*627 0*885 11*492 5*962 3*753 0*740 10*455 No 7 .. 6*602 0*224 0*323 7*149 3*433 2*209 0*699 6*341 No 8 .. 10*569 0*599 0*475 11*643 5*842 4*185 0*980 11*007 No 9 .. 8*234 1*072 0*935 10*241 4*537 2*886 0*311 7*734 No. 10 .. .. 8*283 0*252 0*945 9*480 5*220 2*373 0*542 8*135 Totals .. 9*356 0*318 0*401 10*075 5*100 3*113 0*990 9*203

H.—4o.

In Nos. 4 and 7 Districts, however, the absence of relatively closely populated areas, together with much longer routes, combine in reducing passenger revenue in proportion to vehicle-mileage, while the use of lighter cars results in reduced operating costs. Table No. 8 in the Appendix shows the applications for passenger-service licenses, together with the decisions given at the 31st March, 1932. The section of the table relating to decisions is exclusive of many applications for continuous and seasonal passenger-service licenses which were not considered until after the 31st March. The maps at the end of the Appendix show the routes and the numbers of passenger-services licensed under the new Act. Passenger-service Vehicle Inspections. For the safety of the traveller by road, the Transport Licensing Act, 1931, requires the owner of each motor-vehicle that is used for the carriage of passengers for hire or reward (other than the vehicle designed to seat not more than eight persons, and which is operating strictly and solely as a taxicab) to make application for a certificate of fitness, and an inspection is thereafter made by the inspecting officer located in the district wherein the vehicle is regularly garaged. If the application covers a vehicle which is to be used on a route required to be licensed under the above-mentioned Act, a bank draft for £3 must accompany the application for inspection, and similarly a payment of £2 must be made — , (a) In the case of a vehicle used for the carriage of school-children, with or without their teachers, but not at the same time carrying other passengers and (b) In the case of a vehicle carrying passengers under a contract, expressed or implied, for the use by them of the vehicle as a whole, while the vehicle which is to be used on a service that lias been or is to be specially licensed for one week, more or less, must, upon each occasion, be covered by a fee of 2s. 6d. for the permit. It will be seen, therefore, that the legislation has embraced practically every passenger-vehicle used for hire or reward, other than the genuine taxi; but in this regard it is apparent to the Department that many owners have not yet realized their obligations, and of these defaulters the majority are in the £2-payment class indicated in (b) above. The first applications for inspection were received in the second week in January last, and for seven months they have been coining to hand daily. A summary of the position throughout the Dominion at noon on the 16th August, 1932, shows, in all, a few more than 1,700 applications had been lodged, and that of a total of 1,692 applications, for which the necessary fees had been duly paid, no less than 103 applications, or 6 per cent, of the total, were withdrawn by the owners either before or during the inspection period, while 44 other vehicles, being 2-8 per cent, of the remainder, were, upon examination, found to be beyond repair, and therefore were condemned, being unfit for further service. In this connection it is worth mention that both withdrawals and condemned vehicles figure in the returns from each of the ten districts into which the Dominion has been divided. The 1,545 " active " vehicles are distributed as under :— 1. No. 4 District (Hawke's Bay and Gisborne areas) . . .. .. 231 2. No. 2 District (Auckland City and contiguous counties) .. . . 222, 3. No. 6 District (Wellington City, Manawatu, and Wairarapa areas) .. 209 4. No. 3 District (Waikato and Bay of Plenty areas) .. .. .. 176 5. No. 5 District (Taranaki, Wanganui, Eangitikei, and Taumarunui areas) .. 174 6. No. 7 District (Marlborough, Nelson, and Westland areas) .. .. 161 7. No. 9 District (Dunedin City and Otago areas) . . . . . . 134 8. No. 8 District (Christchurch City and Canterbury areas) .. . . 121 9. No. 1 District (Warkworth and North Auckland areas) .. .. 72 10. No. 10 District (Southland Province) .. .. .. . 45 But, as already mentioned, many more vehicles have yet to be embraced, chiefly vehicles engaged in the transport of school-children and. as contract vehicles ; of the latter the majority are " passengertrucks." As a guide to all concerned, and for uniformity of treatment by the several inspecting officers, certain draft regulations were framed in January last, and these incorporate the requirements which for the past five years have been applied to motor-omnibuses that were licensed under the Motoromnibus Traffic Act, 1926, and contain also extra clauses appropriate to the respective requirements for the widely different types of passenger-vehicles that have been embraced by the legislation of November last. The draft as prepared was then submitted for constructive criticism to representatives of the several parties interested in passenger-transport by motor-vehicles, and certain amendments were agreed to, as was the case at a later date when the service-car proprietors again met the officers of the Department. The draft, as amended, covering the construction and equipment of omnibuses, service-coaches service-cars, and school-children vehicles, now has the backing of the licensed operators and the Education Department, and will be duly recommended for gazetting as Part I for existing vehicles Part II for new vehicles, together with two other parts, which are as yet incomplete, being Part 111 for the passenger-truck and Part IV for the trackless trolly-omnibus.

15

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Just as the joint experience of operators of omnibuses has shown that the chassis which has been designed principally for the carriage of goods is not altogether suitable or satisfactory when used in a city-suburban passenger-service, so will many operators admit that the use of an ordinary motor-car, or one with an extended wheel-base and elongated chassis-frame, leaves much to be desired when operating in a long-distance passenger-service. In general, the private-car models are too small for the loads to be carried in a licensed service, but, as vehicles of from eight to fourteen passenger capacity were not purchasable from stocks held overseas, the service-car proprietor, in the past has been obliged, more or less, to adapt the standard seven-seater chassis to his requirements. Naturally enough, this was done by making the chassis longer, but seldom, if ever, stronger, and then a New-Zealand-made body was constructed not only longer but wider than the standard body. In extreme cases the original parts, such as engine, transmission-gear, steering assembly, braking system, wheels and tires, &c., have been left to transport a body and a live load weighing twice as much as was originally allowed for by the manufacturer, and to this burden has been added the extra baggage and freight. Many serious defects in the vehicles have been located by the Inspectors, but detailed information concerning these need not be given herein. It will perhaps be adequate to say that certain models unquestionably have characteristic and serious weaknesses ; in one model it may be the transmission, in another a vital part of the steering-gear, in a third a defect in the brake mechanism ; or, again, the weakness may be evident through a tendency to fracture in the chassis-frame, cross-member, or an axle ; but in these latter cases the trouble is usually caused through overloading. However, the operator rather than the designer of his vehicle should be blamed for most of the defects that have been observed, because the unsafe condition of the vehicle more often than not results from indifferent maintenance. Actually vehicles in regular service have been found without a second brake-operating gear ; without brake-linings ; with brake-drums that were useless ; with essential parts of the brake-linkage system missing ; with steering-gear in a positively dangerous condition ; with both main frames fractured through harsh treatment; with drive-shaft almost ready to fall to the ground ; with wheels on the verge of a collapse ; with the body insecurely fastened to the chassis ; with the body in such a condition that the doors could not be kept closed when the vehicle was travelling ; with inefficient headlights ; without rear light; with several leaves of the springs cracked ; and with rivets and chassis fastenings in a neglected state. Not only can it be said that many of these defects have been found in the one vehicle, but also it has been established that certain owners, possibly in ignorance in a few odd cases, have allowed most of their fleet of vehicles to quickly deteriorate to a dangerous degree. Enforcement. Inspectors.—ln view of the limited funds available, the efficient enforcement of the Transport Licensing Act has constituted a problem in itself. It was felt that the police should not be further burdened with traffic work. Therefore the majority of local authorities which have inspectorial staff were communicated with, and the services of their Inspectors solicited on the basis of the local bodies obtaining all fines obtained as a result of prosecutions. The response was very favourable. Out of 114 local authorities written to, eighty-eight have agreed to assist, and, of the remainder, many have not yet made their decisions. The Main Highways Board has also instructed its Traffic Inspectors to assist the Department on the above basis, and as these and many of the local-body Inspectors operate on the " group " system —that is to say, cover the territory of several local bodies —efficient means for enforcement of the Act is now in operation practically throughout New Zealand. Arrangements are being made with the Health Department to permit its Inspectors to co-operate with this Department in the few remaining territories not already sufficiently covered. As licenses become finalized, and operators and Inspectors become more fully accustomed to the Act and its requirements, the standard of efficiency in its enforcement will undoubtedly become very complete. The Department very much appreciates the assistance the local bodies and Main Highways Board are rendering free of charge in this important aspect of administration of the Act. Prosecutions. —As it has taken operators some time to become accustomed to the Act and its requirements, prosecutions have not followed every breach, and Court cases, therefore, have been comparatively few. Revocation of licenses. —The Act contains two provisions of great importance to operators, inasmuch as under them they may lose their passenger-service licenses. Section 31, subsection (4), states that if any licensee curtails or abandons his service without consent of the Licensing Authority he shall lose his license, and may, in addition, be subjected to heavy monetary penalty. Several licenses have been revoked under this section. Although this may seem harsh, it has to be recognized that a passenger-service license under the Act gives privileges which in their turn imply obligations, one of the obligations being the provision of a service upon which the public, at intermediate places as well as the termini, can rely. Section 36 provides that if as a result of a public inquiry held by the Licensing Authority it is shown to the latter's satisfaction that the licensee has broken any of the conditions or terms of his passengerservice license the license may be revoked. This section has, so far, been used only to prove cases of curtailment in the service for the purpose of assisting to carry out section 31 ; but now that operators are used to the Act and their obligations under it they would be well advised to bear in mind this section and the wide powers given by it.

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Results from Administration of Act. The relationship between transport-control and improvement in conditions in the operation of transport facilities is of a direct and striking nature, as the experience in the administration of the Act so far clearly demonstrates. Broadly speaking, public transport by motor-vehicle does not differ in fundamental economic character from railways, tramways, and other public-utility industries, in connection with which it is now axiomatic that competition inevitably gives rise to over-capitalization and unsatisfactory services, which lead in turn to relatively high costs per unit of service. In the long-run the revenue received in transport services must cover operating costs, so that the operating costs per passenger or per ton of freight on routes where there are too many services must always be considerably higher than on routes where the services are not in excess of the economic requirements. The plain fact is that the public, as travellers and as taxpayers, are required to meet the high transport costs due to wasteful competition. Some idea of the additional burden that unregulated competition in the omnibus and service-car business has imposed upon the public in New Zealand is to be had from the fact that it is estimated that the results of the first year's operation of the Act will result in a saving of no less than 5,829,0C0 vehicle-miles out of an estimated total of 21,405,000 vehicle-miles. Expressed in operating costs at 9d. per mile, this represents approximately £209,000 per annum ; but it is hardly correct to assume that the whole of this amount represents a reduction in actual transport costs, for the reason that where the reductions represent a small proportion only of the total vehicle-mileage there may have been a reduction in running costs (i.e., petrol, lubricants, tires, repairs, and maintenance, and depreciation), but not in standing charges (i.e., wages, license fees, garage fees, overhead, &c.). Running costs represent approximately sd. per vehicle-mile, so that the total saving in running costs for the year works out at £121,000. The real saving in transport operating costs lies somewhere between the total saving in running costs (£121,000) and the total operating costs (£209,000), and is conservatively estimated at £150,000 for the year. The saving in road-damage is estimated to represent approximately £24,000, and as the special motor taxation would be decreased by approximately £18,000 by the reduction in vehicle-mileage, and as approximately one-third of this £18,000 would actually be spent on the roads, it would appear that £6,000 of the total £24,000 representing saving in road-damage is included in the saving in running costs already referred to. To sum up the estimated annual savings as a result of the first year's operation of the Act are as follows : — £ (a) Vehicle-operating costs .. .. .. .. .. 150,000 (b) Road-damage .. .. . . . . .. . . 18,000 Total .. .. . . .. .. . . £168,000 The incidence of these savings is of considerable interest and importance. The savings in vehicleoperating costs would in the ordinary course of business go into the pockets of the operators, since the elimination of a competitor means that the surviving operator would secure a greater revenue for, generally speaking, the same operating costs, while co-ordination among different services means the same revenue for less operating expenditure. The Department, however, will under the provisions of the Act keep in close touch with the finances of operators, with the object of ensuring that the results of the savings are passed on to the public in the form of reduced fares. It may be a little early to make any reliable prognostication as to fares, but there are indications that at the relicensing period next February there should be substantial reductions throughout the Dominion. The elimination of unnecessary and wasteful competition between road and rail passenger-services has been brought about in many cases, with beneficial results. The reduced road damage will be reflected in reduced local authorities' rates required for expenditure on roads. Hardship. It would be impossible to administer an Act such as the Transport Licensing Act without hardship in individual cases. The conflict between the regulatory provisions of the Act and the conditions of laissez faire which existed in the motor passenger-services is so sharp that it would be impossible to bring about co-ordination without inflicting hardship somewhere. Every endeavour has, however, been made by the various Licensing Authorities to minimize hardship in individual cases as much as possible, and, judging by the relatively few complaints that have been made, their efforts have not been without success. The provisions of section 28 providing for the granting of " automatic " licenses where a passenger-service had been operated by the same proprietor since the Ist April, 1931, ensured that many operators secured licenses in cases where it would have been extremely difficult to prove that the service was necessary and desirable in the public interest, and where co-ordination is certainly desirable. As section 28 will not apply at the relicensing period next year, there is little doubt that further steps will then be taken to reduce unnecessary and. wasteful competition, and effect further substantial reductions in our national transport overhead. (6) GOODS SERVICES. The provisions of Part 111 of the Act, relating to the licensing of goods services, have not yet been invoked. Draft regulations prescribing the necessary machinery have been prepared and are at present under consideration.

3- 11. 40.

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6. MOTOR ACCIDENTS. Motor-vehicle accidents continue to take a heavy annual toll of human lives. During the year ended 31st March, 1932, there were 148 fatal accidents which resulted in the deaths of 157 persons. Compared with the similar figures for the previous year, these figures show a decrease of 73, or approximately one-third in the number of accidents and a decrease of 90 or 36 per cent, in the number of persons killed. A search for the causes of the reduction directs attention to the following : — (а) Reduction of vehicle mileage as a result of the economic depression ; (б) Accident prevention propaganda ; (c) More universal enforcement. It should be noted that the enforcement has not been reflected in an increase in the number of convictions for traffic offences, which dropped from 18,145 in 1930 to 15,135 in 1931, or by approximately 16 per cent. An examination of the major classes of offences reveals that there were 3,109 convictions for negligent or dangerous driving, which is the lowest figure for the last five years ; convictions for breaches of regulations for lighting vehicles dropped from 3,965 in 1930 to 2,557 in 1931 ; while other minor offences fell from 2,971 to 1,967. The immediate gratification at the reduction in the number of persons killed during 1931 should not be regarded as an indication that efforts in the direction of reducing accidents should be slackened. Apart from the fact that the year is too short a period to ground a belief that there has been any permanent improvement, the plain fact that there were 157 deaths of people, for the most part in the earlier years of their lives, points to the room that remains for further improvement. Expressed in potential earning-power, these 157 deaths represent approximately £550,000, and if the personal injuries suffered in the non-fatal accidents and the damage to motor-vehicles are added to this figure the total must come to well over £1,000,000. The annual economic loss by motor accidents is therefore a staggering figure, to say nothing of the human misery involved. Considering the deaths alone, it is a striking commentary that the total for the last ten years is equivalent to the present population of the borough of Mataura. The question of the public safety is an important one in connection with the administration of the various Acts and regulations dealing with the control of motor traffic. Broadly speaking, there are three main points to be considered : — (1) A reasonable set of laws and regulations : (2) An adequate system of detecting breaches : (3) A scale of punishment which is effectively deterrent. Under heading (1) attention is directed to the fact that the rapidly changing conditions are under constant review, and in particular to the following proposed or actual alterations to the existing laws and regulations : — (a) More stringent qualifications for drivers of both private and public vehicles. (b) An absolute speed-limit of forty miles per hour for all motor-vehicles, in addition to the present provision that a speed in excess of thirty-five miles per hour shall be prima facie evidence of dangerous driving. (c) Higher standards of braking efficiency. (d) As described elsewhere in this report, a new system of lettering and figuring has been devised in connection with motor-vehicle registration-plates, and this it is anticipated will facilitate the task of the policy and local authorities in enforcing the motor laws. The question as to the adequacy of the existing machinery to secure enforcement of the traffic laws is one that is difficult of determination. There is conclusive evidence of enforcement activity in the 15,000-odd convictions which were secured for traffic offences during the year 1931, but the large number of fatal accidents arising from causes constituting breaches of the law suggest that there is room for improvement in the extensiveness of the enforcement machinery. The Dominion is already paying a considerable amount annually for traffic police and other forms of traffic control, yet there is reason for believing that more extensive enforcement machinery would be the best practical step in the direction of arresting the heavy annual toll of life resulting from motor-vehicle accidents. In addition to the aspects of the Transport Licensing Act, 1931, dealt with in other parts of this report, its enforcement should be a definite step in the reduction of motor accidents. All service-cars and omnibuses are now placed on definite time-tables worked out so that in no case will their speeds require to exceed thirty-five miles per hour (their maximum under the Heavy Motor-vehicle Regulations). In granting the services the licensing authorities are required to take into account the conditions of the roads and any speed-restrictions in force over the route. All public vehicles except taxis are now subject to stringent safety requirements for the protection of the public, and are subjected to an inspection at least once a year by Government Vehicle Inspectors under control of this Department. Taxis are not within the scope of the Act, but in the majority of cases are inspected periodically by local-body Inspectors under by-law powers. Careful attention has been given to the question as to whether the existing punishment for breaches of traffic laws are adequate deterrents, and it would appear that the most important point is the inadequacy of the penalty for dangerous driving. It is proposed to take the first opportunity, of amending the Motor-vehicles Act with the object of making the punishment for this offence more severe. Statistics. Bearing in mind the magnitude of the problem of motor accidents, there is a curious lack of comprehensive statistical data which provides the only means of shedding light on the causes of accidents. This Department prepares statistics based on the reports of Coroners' proceedings relating to fatal accidents, and, while they are reliable as far as they go, it must be conceded that, as each fatal

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accident is accompanied by at least twenty non-fatal accidents, these statistics are hardly representative. Arrangements regarding a comprehensive system of statistics covering all except minor motor accidents have been in train for some time now, but the introduction of the scheme is in abeyance at the present time owing to financial stringency. The results of the analyses of the data relating to fatal motor accidents are given in Table No. 15 of the Appendix. The outstanding points emerging from a comparison of the statistics with those for the previous year are as follows : — That there were twenty-five less pedestrian accidents, the detailed figures indicating that both motorist and pedestrians have contributed to this reduction ; That collisions of motor-vehicles with moter-vehicles were reduced by forty-six ; That accidents due to vehicle being on wrong side of the road are reduced by twenty-nine ; That the main reduction in the deaths is in the adult population ; That the accidents to private motor-cars are reduced by fifty-seven from last year's figures ; That the chief scene of the reductions is indicated to be in. the country districts of the North Island. Outside the administration of the traffic laws, the main factor in the reduction of motor accidents is considered to be the exercise of care by the motorist, pedestrian, and other road-users. To stimulate this aspect of prevention, there has been adopted in other countries, notably Great Britain and the United States of America, systems of accident-prevention propaganda in various forms. In this country good work is being done through various disconnected channels, the Motor Unions in particular being responsible for much fine effort in the schools, and by wireless addresses. There is, however, undoubtedly room for an organization similar to the Safety Leagues of other countries, which would corelate all the activities and attack the accident problem with the concentrated effort which is possible only through special organization. In view of the interest attaching to motor accidents the following brief resume is given under the headings of the three main factors in accidents—viz., the driver, the vehicle, and the road. (I) The Driver. Undoubtedly the most important factor in the cause of traffic accidents is the driver. The first matter to be considered under this heading is the competence of the driver, and the regulations as to the issue of drivers' licenses were designed to deal with this phase. Provided the testing officers appointed for the purpose of these regulations carry out their duties in a conscientious manner, the tests required should be adequate to ensure that all licensed drivers are reasonably competent. However, there are various other causes of accident incidental to the driver outside competence, such as intoxication, overwork, excessive speed, general disregard for traffic rules, drowsiness, &e. The present powers under the regulations to deal with driving to the public danger are quite adequate, and, as the above mentioned are generally the most important contributory factors in dangerous driving, it appears that rigid enforcement of traffic regulations and severe penalties for breaches of these regulations should materially assist in ensuring that the driver is not only competent, but also in a fit and proper condition to be in charge of a motor-vehicle. It is suggested that the motorists themselves might materially assist in this direction by reporting to the proper authority any cases of dangerous driving that come under their notice, as it must be realized that the relatively small staff of traffic officers is quite inadequate to enforce all regulations throughout the forty to fifty thousand miles of roads in New Zealand. It should be realized that dangerous driving means danger to all users of the road, and not only to the person or persons in the vehicle which is being driven dangerously. (2) The Vehicle. Probably the second most important factor in motor accidents is the defects in the motorvehicle itself, such as imperfect brakes, obscured vision (due to lack of wind-screen wipers, &c.), faulty headlights, defective steering-gear, badly worn tires, and various other mechanical defects. Under the Motor-vehicle Regulations definite standards for all the equipment of motor-vehicles are laid down, and ample powers are placed in the hands of the road-controlling authorities for the enforcement of these requirements. It must be admitted, however, that many local bodies fail to see that such enforcement is carried out. One of the most important provisions in the rsgulations relates to the efficiency of brakes, and it would probably be quite a difficult matter to find the owner of a private car whose vehicle had been subjected to a brake-test by a traffic officer. In general, therefore, it may be said that while the powers under the regulations are reasonably adequate to ensure that motor-vehicles using the road are reasonably safe, yet the enforcement of these powers is at present quite inadequate. To illustrate this, tests conducted on 590 cars in Australia gave the following results : Brakes, 57 per cent, defective ; lights, 66-5 per cent, defective ; steering gear, 22 per cent, defective ; wheelalignment, 22 per cent, defective. (3) The Road. In dealing with the road in relation to motor accidents it is necessary to give a very brief resume of the existing roading conditions in the Dominion. Excluding urban roads, where, in general, there are speed restrictions and the enforcement of these restrictions is more or less general, it is proposed to deal with the rural roads alone. In the whole Dominion there are just over 46,000 miles of formed rural roads, of which 31,000 are surfaced, and of this total approximately 11,000 are main highways.

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When the motor-vehicle began to assume importance in the land-transport system the Dominion was in a particularly bad position to deal with this new form of transport. The rural reading system consisted of from 30,000 to 40,000 miles of narrow roads, partly gravel-surfaced, and, as maximum mileage for minimum cost had been the governing factor in road-construction, the alignment was generally bad, and curves of one-chain radius, sudden changes of grade, and narrow bridges were the rule rather than the exception. In other words, the rural roads had been built to accommodate traffic consisting largely of slow-moving horse-drawn vehicles, and of a very low density, and were quite unsuited to the fast-moving motor-vehicle and the relatively dense road traffic of to-day. The road-controlling authorities and the Main Highways Board have spent large sums of money in improving alignment, replacing one-way and dangerous bridges, and in improving road-surfaces, yet in spite of the large amount expended the Engineer to the Main Highways Board reports in 1930, as follows : — " To bring up the primary highways system (6,000 miles) to a standard approximately the same as the present road between Wellington and Napier via Palmerston North, and to provide two-way bridges thereon, will cost approximately £25,000,000, and will take twentyfive years to accomplish at the present rate of expenditure. Even then there will be very many places on the primary system where a speed of thirty miles per hour will be unsafe. It is, in my opinion, a definite fact that the risk of road traffic is to-day much greater than five years ago, in spite of the efforts of the Main Highways Board and the local authorities, because the improvements which have been carried out are nothing like as effective in reducing road accidents as the very much greater speeds and volume of traffic are effective in increasing the number of accidents." The following general conclusions must, therefore, be drawn from the present state of our roading system : — (1) Generally, the rural roads of New Zealand are quite unsuited for high speeds as regards surfacing, alignment, bridges, and protective fences. (2) In order that the risk to the motorist may be reduced, it appears that a definite speedlimit should be imposed on all vehicles using rural roads, and rigidly enforced. (3) It will be very many years before it will be reasonably safe to allow motor-vehicles unrestricted speeds on the rural roads of the Dominion. 7. GENERAL SURVEY OF TRANSPORT. The outstanding feature in the field of transport to-day is the dangerously high proportion percentage of national land transport costs to national production. This high proportion is partly symptomatic of the fall in the prices for primary products, but is also a sharp reminder of the wasteful duplication and triplication which has taken place in the provision of various transport facilities. The impelling message of the figures is the urgency of securing co-ordination of facilities as a means of reducing transport costs. The present high level of national transport costs constitutes a serious handicap to economic recovery. Although the transport problem is one of the Dominion's greatest internal economic problems, application of measures to secure co-ordination should result in the level of costs being forced downwards in a comparatively short time. The shrinkage in the volume of passenger and commodity traffic during the year has resulted in keener struggle for the diminished volume available by the motor, rail, and coastal shipping services. The average number of motor-vehicles on tlie road during the year was 2 per cent, below the number for the previous year, and the importations of petrol decreased from 64,000,000 gallons to 60,000,000 gallons, indicating a generally lower level of activity in the industry. As between the different classes of motor-vehicles, it is significant that the number of trucks shows a gain of 4 per cent., while passengervehicles (cars, omnibuses, and motor-cycles) have fallen off by 3 per cent. In the field of rail and coastal shipping services substantial declines were recorded. The tonnage of freight handled by coastal shipping showed a drop of 20 per cent., while the railway freight and ordinary passenger business fell away by 16 per cent, and 11 per cent, respectively. The intensified competition has resulted in severe rate-cutting in many districts, but, broadly speaking, the lack of co-ordination of services stands in the way of a permanent and substantial reduction of transport charges, at a time when a reduction is urgently wanted. Some idea of the volume of passenger and goods transport effected in the Dominion during the year ended 31st March, 1932, and the relative positions of the various transport facilities in the passenger and goods spheres, is to be had from the following summary showing the estimated passenger miles and freight ton-miles for each kind of transport:—

(a) Passenger Transport.

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Passenger Miles (i.e., one _ . , Kind of Transport. passenger one mile). Percentage of (000,000 omitted.) iotal - Motor-vehicles .. .. .. 1,753 71 Tramways .. .. .. 263 11 Railways .. .. .. 428 17 Shipping* .. .. .. 37 1 Totals .. .. 2,481 100 * Inter-island traffic only.

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(b) Goods Transport.

These figures direct attention to the fact that the motor-vehicle now dominates the passenger traffic, while the railways perform the bulk of the goods-transportation. The motor-vehicle accounts for no less than 71 per cent, of the total passenger miles, against 17 per cent, for the railways and 11 per cent, for tramways ; while the freight ton-miles are split up in the following proportions : Railways 45 per cent., coastal shipping 35 per cent., and motor-trucks 20 per cent. Expressed per head of population, the passenger miles show approximately 1-650 miles per person per annum, while the freight ton-miles show approximately 600 ton-miles per person per annum. Both these figures afford striking evidence of the part played" by transport in the social and economic life of the Dominion. 8. LAND TRANSPORT COSTS AND NATIONAL PRODUCTION. In the Department's report for the year ended 31st March, 1930 (pages 21-25), the results of investigations which showed the tremendous growth in annual national transport costs as compared with the national volume of production in 1928-29, as compared with 1913-14, were published. The figures have been brought up to the latest date available —viz., the 31st March, 1931 —and are dealt with hereunder. The object of these figures is to show in as brief a form as possible the salient features of the trend in the relationship between national land transport costs and the value of national production. The figures regarding the annual operating costs of motor-vehicles and horse-drawn vehicles have been estimated in the Transport Department. Those relating to electric trams and railways represent the recorded results of each undertaking, while the estimated value of production has been obtained from official sources. A word of warning is necessary in interpreting the figures, which, of course, do not show the position in regard to any particular section of industry. For instance, certain sections of industry and trade are receiving the benefits of lower freight charges as a result of competition, and judge the whole transport problem from their own particular viewpoint. Competition has brought down their transport bill as they know it, and they accordingly pin their faith to competition as their guarantor that charges are as low as they ought to be. This view is quite valid, but only as far as it covers the viewpoint of the particular individual, and also only so far as it covers his " direct " transport costs. There is another aspect of the matter, and that is the view from the Dominion as a whole, which can only be taken by considering all transport costs —i.e., both " direct " and " indirect." This view directs attention to the fact that with keener competition than has ever existed before between the various transport facilities the Dominion is to-day faced with national land transport costs on a level that shades all previous levels and must be getting perilously near the stage of actually stifling industry. The plain fact is that, broadly speaking, transport is one of those industries where unregulated competition inevitably leads to organizations which are forced to have high charges. An outstanding example of this is found in the position of the railways in the Dominion. It is very desirable to-day to reduce freight charges to the lowest possible point, but this desire is impossible of fulfilment while the most valuable freights are lost to road competition. Indeed, the long-run effect of the present position must inevitably be an increase in freight charges to the primary industries or an increase in the amount of taxation required to recoup railway deficits. The following summary shows the estimated costs of national land transport for the year ended 31st, March, 1931

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freight Ton-miles (i.e., one! -n f Kind of Transport. ton of freight one mile), j eioen age o (000 omitted.) iotaL Motor-trucks .. .. .. 183,624 20 Railways .. . . .. 405,256 45 Coastal shipping .. .. 321,451 35 Totals .. .. 910,331 j 100

Kind of Transport. [ Annual Cost. . .1 ' £ £ (1) Railway .. .. .. .. .. .. 9,138,000 (2) Tramways .. .. .. .. .. .. 1,552,000 (3) Road transport — (i) Motor-vehicles — (a) Motor-cars .. .. .. 15,997,000 (b) Omnibuses .. .. .. 1,626,000 (c) Motor-cycles .. .. .. 913,000 (d) Trucks" .. .. .. 9,880,000 28,416,000 (ii) Other road-vehicles .. .. .. .. 1,054,000 (iii) Road costs not included elsewhere .. .. 4,126,000 Total .. .. .. .. £44,286,000

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Even in the relatively prosperous year of 1928-29 the estimated national land transport costs represented no less than £36-22 out of every £100 of the estimated value of national production, as compared with £29-59 in 1913-14. Over-capitalization in transport, and the shrinkage in the value of national production in 1930-31 due to the decline in the prices of primary products, are the principal causes for national land transport costs representing no less than £45-23 out of every £100 of the national volume of production in that year. This increase immediately directs attention to the farreaching changes that have taken place in the whole field of transport in the Dominion, and the marked relative disproportion that now exists between transport costs and the annual value of national production. In so far as the additional costs represent definite gains in the conquest of time and space in the transportation of human beings and commodities they must be regarded as part of the fair cost of progress, but in so far as they are the result of wasteful duplication or triplication, of facilities they represent a serious and unnecessary obstacle to economic development. The figures relating to the estimated capital cost of the land transport services are of interest, although they are reflected to some extent in those relating to annual cost. The following figures show the summarized figures relating to the estimated capital cost of the various facilities at 31st March, 1931 :—

Regular Motor Freight Services. The official statistics relating to organized freight services during the months of July, 1931, and January, 1932, have been used as the basis for estimating the figures for twelve months. These statistics point to a slight decrease in the number of vehicles used in these services, and declines of 28 and 14 per cent, respectively in the tonnage of freight carried and receipts. In spite of this fallingofE in business, the vehicle mileage remained at the same level as for the previous year—viz., ] 1,700,000 miles. The following summary shows the principal information relating to the operation of trucks on organized services during the years ended 31st March, 1930, 1931, and 1932 : —

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Estimated Capital rr . ; i o ■ cost at 31st March, Kind oi Service. 931 (000,000 omitted.) £ (1) Railways .. .. .. .. .. .. 61 (2) Electric and cable tramways .. . . .. 5 (3) Roads .. .. . . .. .. . . 65 (4) Motor-vehicles (including estimated value of garages and 53 repair shops, &c.) (5) Horse-drawn vehicles* Total .. .. .. .. £184. * Less than £1,000,000.

Year ended 31st March, Percentage. 1930. 1931. | 1932. Increase. ! Decrease. Vehicles .. . • Number 965 1,160 1.117 .. 4 Vehicle mileage Miles 9,800,000 11,700,000 11,700^000 Freight .. .. Tons 876,000 1,038,000 749,000 .. 28 Receipts .. .. £ 653,000 708,000 607,000 .. 14 Average miles per vehicle Miles 10,000 10,000 10,500 5 per annum Average number of tons of Number 907 894 671 .. 25 freight per vehicle per annum Average receipts per £ 677 610 544 .. 11 vehicle per annum Average receipts per ton d. 179 164 195 19 of freightAverage receipts per d. 16-0 14-5 12-5 .. 14 vehicle-mile

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Competition with Railways. The following figures illustrate the extent to which the organized freight services are operated on routes that parallel the railway and on routes unserved by the railway : —

It is of interest that the number of vehicles and the vehicle mileage in respect of services running oil routes that parallel the railways showed gains of 2 and 7 per cent, respectively over the figures for the previous year, while the same figures for the services oil routes that do not parallel rail routes showed decreases. The figures relating to the volume of jreights and the revenue point to intensified competition with the railways. The volume of freights and revenue for services running alongside the railways fell away to the extent of 13 and 3 per cent, respectively, while the services running where there is no railway showed decreases of 35 and 22 per cent, respectively. Expenditure on Roads, Streets, and Bridges, 1930-31. The total expenditure on the construction, maintenance, and interest and sinking-fund charges in respect of the roads, streets, bridges, and footways amounted to £9,179,390 for the year ended 31st March, 1931, against £8,701,075 for the previous year. The following table summarises the data given in Table No. 10 of the Appendix Expenditure on Roads, Streets, Footways, and Bridges.

A. ABSOLUTE FIGURES.

B. PERCENTAGES.

23

Year ended 31st March, Percentage. 1930. 1931. 1932. Increase. | Decrease. (a) Motor Freight Routes that substantially parallel Rail Routes. Vehicles ., .. Number 359 424 434 2 Vehicle mileage .. Miles ; 4,300,000 5,400,000 5,800,000 7 Freight .. .. Tons! 326,000 354,000 308,000 13 Revenue .. .. . £ 276,000 292,000 j 284,000 .. 3 (b) Motor Freight Routes that do not parallel Rail Routes. Vehicles .. .. Number : 606 736 683 i 7 Vehicle mileage .. Miles | 5,500,000 | 6,300,000 5,900,000 i .. j 6 Freight .. .. Tons 550,000 684,000 442,000 ! .. 1 35 Revenue .. .. £ 377,000 416,000 | 324,000 j .. 1 22

Item. County Roads. \ Main Highways. Urban Roads. Totals. (a) Nature of Expenditure. j £ j £ £ £ Maintenance .. .. .. 1,040,828 1,247,393 1,192,377 3,480,598 Construction .. .. .. 1,627,164 977,902 512,386 3,117,452 Capital charges .. .. .. 1,253,899 j 685,956 641,485 2,581,340 Totals .. .. .. 3,921,891 j 2,911,251 2,346,248 9,179,390 (b) Source of Moneys. Local rates .. .. .. .. 1,097,382 403,813 1,638,296 3,139,491 General taxation .. .. .. 1,003,502 323,551 .. 1,327,053 Motor taxation .. .. .. 201,064 1,514,588 219,965 1,935^617 Loan •• ■■ •• 1,619,943 669,299 487,987 2,777,229 Totals •• •• •• 3,921,891 2,911,251 | 2,346,248 9,179,390

I ■ — ■ ——p— —— Source of Money. County Roads, i Main Highways. Urban Roads. Totals. (a) Nature of Expenditure. Per Gent. Per Gent. ! Per Cent. i Per Cent. Maintenance .. .. .. 26-54 42-85 50-82 37-92' Construction .. .. .. 41-49 33-59 21-84 33-96 Capital charges .. .. .. 31-97 23-56 27-34 28-12 Totals .. .. .. 100-00 { 100-00 j 100-00 100-00 (b) Source of Moneys. Local rates.. .. .. .. 27-98 i 13-87 69-82 34-20 General taxation .. .. .. 25-59 11-11 .. J4-46 Motor taxation .. .. .. 5-13 j 52-03 i 9-38 21-09 Loan .. .. .. .. 41-30 ! 22-99 i 20-80 30-25 Totals .. .. i 100-00 i 100-00 ' 100-00 100-00

H.—4o.

It is of interest to note that, of the £6,061,938 which represents the expenditure necessary on account of maintenance and loan charges paid in respect of all roads, streets, bridges, and footways 51 per cent, was provided by the local ratepayer, 27 per cent, by the motorist, and 22 per cent, by the general taxpayer. These percentages have been obtained by analysing the sources of the moneys expended, and do not ijefer to the total amount contributed by way of taxation and not expended on the roads, streets, or bridges. As indicated in Table 14 of the Appendix to this report, the taxation paid in respect' of motor-vehicles by way of (a) Customs duties and surtax on vehicles and parts, (6) tire-tax, (c) petrol-tax, (d) registration and license fees, (e) heavy-traffic fees, and (/) drivers license fees for the year ended 31st March, 19-31, amounted to £2,907,153, or 48 per cent, of the total annual cost of all the roads, streets, and bridges, &c. This figure also exceeds the annual costs of main highways (£1,933,349), and represents 69 per cent of the costs for main highways and rural roads together. 9. TRANSPORT LEGISLATION IN OTHER COUNTRIES. The following are some of the most important developments in the transport affairs of other countries passed during the last year : — Queensland. —State Transport Co-ordination Act, of 1931 : An Act designed (1) To set up a Minister of Transport and Transport Department, the latter including the former Railway Department and Main Roads Department; and (2) To constitute a Transport Board and Advisory Committees for the guidance of the Minister and Department; and (3) For the control and licensing of goods- and passenger services by the Transport Board. Great Britain. —An amendment to the Road Traffic Act, 1930, lias been passed to exempt certain types of contract services from the requirements of the Act. Several inquiries are under way by Commission for report to the Government—e.g., a joint committee representative of the road and rail interests to investigate the relationship between the two modes of transport (particularly from the point of view of goods traffic), and a Commission to inquire into the causes of road accidents. Germany. —The principle of passenger and goods road-transport control has been extended, by legislation effective in November, 1931, to any type of service the operations of which resemble in character those normally performed by public service vehicles. For example, all goods carried for payment on account of a third party are subject to license requirement on journeys more than 31 miles (50 kilometres), and the element of regularity in the service is not a touchstone of the necessity to license (as formerly was the case). Austria. —Legislation became effective this year for the control and licensing of passenger and goods road services on the same broad principles as apply in this country.

10. APPENDIX.

TABLE No. 1.—MOTOR-VEHICLE REGISTRATIONS, 1925-1931. Table showing the Total Number of Vehicles registered under the Motor-vehicles Act, 1924, at 31st December, in the Years 1925 to 1931.

24

(N.B. —Dormant, but not Cancelled, Registrations aie included in this Table.) Trucks (classified according to Pay-load Capacity). gj Trailers. — .2 . "c3 cJ r d n 3'^ rc,r 5ll 22 / S cc "o i-r c3 JZ3 tSfljd o W S V 31st December, Cars. g|| g|| ||||||||| J | | I | g| | | S | § I s tn tii tsfiiiiii i, H ° i f | s 3 ; fe o o o o O ' l_ moK si Q 671 2 077 879 713 268 48 17 13,673 1,285 386 198 291 193 369 25,339 123,396 Jqor " 101 4(>2 13056 2827 1 155 824 314 48 27 18,251 1,590 465 241 432 328 455 32,101 155,325 1926 •• 101,462 13,0o6 2,827 1,100 SZ4 d±4 34>593 m285 1QOQ " 125656 17 057 4302 1*465 866 347 48 21 24,106 1,190 421 269 689 422 460 36,116 1 8 9>329 noo ■ " M3RU 8 792 6 453 1 668 852 349 51 24 28,189 1,271 372 262 945 449 501 37,349 213,152 '' - _,' i in'eqn s'o'U 1798 87° 350 51 23 30,967 1.308 305 259 1,279 464 503 37,404 227,123 1931 153,265 23,283 8,542 1,757 829 321 44 21 34,797 1,234 282 271 1,886 657 468 35,413 228,273

H.—4o.

OVERSEA MECHANICAL TRANSPORT COUNCIL. The work of the Oversea Mechanical Transport Council deserves special mention in this report, and the Transport Department welcomes the opportunity to record its appreciation of the significance of the practical tests now being undertaken in England with the ultimate object of producing a vehicle, or a combination of vehicles, that would be economically sound and in every way suitable for the carriage of relatively heavy loads over our unmetalled rural and back country roads. My report of last year mentioned that the Directing Committee of the Council was then experimenting with — (a) A specially constructed caterpillar type of track as part of a proposed combination tractor-trailer unit to carry a load of 40 tons ; and (b) An all-wheeled tractor-trailer unit on pneumatic tires for a pay-load of 15 tons. Since the series of tests was more satisfactory in the case of the latter unit, and as it also held out better prospects, the Committee has suspended work on the design of the large "tracked" unit, and has concentrated its energy upon the 15-ton unit. The tractor has four axles and eight wheels fitted with large section pneumatic tires : all the road wheels are driven, steered, and braked. It is designed to carry a pay-load of 3 tons and to haul two eight-wheeled trailers each carrying a pay-load of 6 tons, and is fitted with a petrol-engine. As no axle-weight exceeds 2f tons with the 15-ton pay-load, the pressure on the surface of the road is less than 40 lb. per square inch —i.e., less than that of a normally loaded 30 cwt. motor-lorry. In addition, the speed of the unit is governed to twenty miles per hour, so as not to cause undue damage to earth roads. During the first five months of 1932 this vehicle travelled 2,000 miles under various trial conditions, including road tests with a pav-load of 21 tons. The Directing Committee has recently reported that the unit is " very satisfactory," and further experimental tests are in hand. It is intended to build a second 15-ton unit embodying improvements which will increase the efficiency and reduce the cost of the tractor, which will be fitted with a heavy-oil (Diesel) engine. The Directing Committee recently reported a well-founded belief that " the cost of haulage with a 30-ton all-wheeled unit would be considerably below that of the smaller 15-ton vehicle, and they would much regret curtailment of their work, however convinced they may be of the utility of the latter unit." THE HEAVY-OIL ENGINE. In the field of commercial transport the contest for supremacy is still " on " between the heavy oil engine and the petrol-engine, but as yet even the most enthusiastic supporter of the former type of engine would hesitate to predict the final result. It is recognized that the preliminary trials have shown that the all-round performance of a vehicle equipped with a heavy-oil engine is at least equal to that of a similar vehicle with a petrolengine. However, there is a considerable diversity of opinion regarding certain peculiarities of the heavy-oil engine, but good progress is being made toward the elimination of these. The manufacturer of this type of engine—formerly popularly known as a " Diesel," but now more correctly referred to as a " compression ignition (C.1.) engine " —is striving for less weight per unit of horse-power, a lower first cost, less smoke in the exhaust, and less noise when the engine is "on light load." He is confident of success, partially, if not entirely, and is being encouraged to persevere by sundry experienced owners of both large and small fleets of petrol-engined trucks, buses, and tractors. At a. meeting of the Royal Society of Arts in London last December, Mr. H. R. Ricardo, who has a world-wide reputation as an expert in matters pertaining to the internal-combustion engine, said, " The present time marks the serious entry of the C.I. engine into the transport field ; hitherto, the vehicles thus equipped have been principally in the hands of enthusiasts who have been somewhat apt to gloss over defects and extol virtues." He also expressed the conviction that the British engine was in advance of its foreign contemporary. At the Commercial-vehicle Show held in London in November last no less than ten manufacturers exhibited heavy-oil engines suitable for use in commercial vehicles. As an indication of the growing confidence in the C.I. engine, it is perhaps appropriate to mention that during the year some operators in England have placed relatively large orders for C.I. engines, one of these was for 127 engines, no less than ninety-one of which are intended for the conversion of a portion of the company's existing petrol-engined fleet; the balance are for new chassis. The omnibus with a " Diesel " engine that was put into service at Auckland about a year ago has, I understand, proved satisfactory, and the operating company has since converted another bus from a petrol to a heavy-oil engined unit, while some other operators are also considering conversions to C.I. engines.

24A

H.—4o.

TABLE No. 2.—MOTOR-VEHICLE REGISTRATIONS, BY HIGHWAY DISTRICTS. Table showing according to Highway Districts the Number of Motor-cars, Omnibuses, and Motor-trucks (including Dormant, but not Cancelled, Registrations) registered at 31st December in the Years 1927, 1928, 1929, 1930, and 1931.

4—H. 40.

25

tv . . . Motor-cars. j Omnibuses. Motor-trucks. Highway District. | L _ | 1927. 1928. 1929. I 1930. | 1931. I 1927. 1928. 1929. 1930. 1931. ! 1927. 1928. 1929. 1930. 1931. ! It!' I J I Auckland North .. .. .. 1 14,838 5,394* 6,310* 6,863* 7,122* 264 21* 37* 43* 154* 4,241 1,600* 1,893* 2,104* 2,268* Auckland South .. .. .. 2 10,656 23,826* 28,015* 30,586* 30,417* 78 329* 343* 341* 249* 2,457 5,836* 6,663* 7,173* 7,736* Tauranga .. .. .. .. 3 2,359 2,704 3,222 3,562 3,921 26 25 23 26 34 624 698 835 951 1,127 Gisborne .. .. .. .. 4 2,837 3,225 3,648 3,863 3,635 29 30 36 38 37 426 458 546 609 643 Hawke's Bay .. .. .. 5 7,857 8,728 9,834 10,382 10,092 69 73 72 75 66 1,553 1,649 1,896 2,072 2,542 King-country .. .. .. 6 1,257 1,478 1,826 1,989 2,254 24 22 28 30 18 463 523 721 787 846 Taranaki .. .. .. .. 7 6,332 7,221 8,184 8,789 8,726 40 43 42 43 36 1,055 1,223 1,491 1,648 1,838 Wanganui .. .. .. 8 5,313 5,897 6,652 6,962 6,583 37 39 41 39 45 1,027 1,110 1,263 1,326 1,418 Wellington West 9 13,715 15,830 18,503 20,328 19,545 184 187 192 198 149 2,988 3,340 3,800 4,119 4,476 Wellington East .. .. .. 10 4,146 4,646 5,223 5,564 5,582 36 35 39 39 30 699 745 881 947 1,130 Nelson .. .. .. .. 11 3,566 3,945 4,513 4,892 4,948 48 49 49 49 48 577 637 778 902 1,051 West Coast .. .. .. 12 1,392 1,590 1,891 2,183 2,340 44 52 58 61 52 421 459 567 670 797 Canterbury North .. .. .. 13 1,103 1,243 1,416 1,499 1,619 9 9 10 11 10 149 179 226 268 379 Canterbury Central .. .. 14 12,582 13,870 15,475 16,528 16,490 58 65 72 72 62 1,841 2,001 2,339 2,605 2,974 Canterbury South .. .. .. 15 8,835 9,695 10,684 11,208 11,041 83 91 97 100 87 911 1,008 1,235 1,422 1,819 Otago Central .. .. .. 16 1,459 1,647 1,869 1,977 1,982 16 16 18 19 22 203 238 291 329 389 Otago South .. .. .. 17 6,771 7,491 8,485 9,028 8,779 58 63 67 73 67 1,377 1,494 1,707 1,832 1,931 Southland .. .. .. 18 6,623 7,226 8,064 8,431 8,189 40 41 47 51 68 803 908 1,057 1,203 1,433 Totals •• •• •• 111,641 125,656 143,814 154,634 153,265 1,143 1,190 I 1,271 1,308 1,234 21,815 24,106 28,189 30,967 34,797 * Alterations in boundaries invalidate horizontal comparisons for the Worth Auckland and South Auckland Districts beyond 1927.

H,— 4o.

TABLE No. 3.—MOTOR-CYCLE REGISTRATIONS, BY HIGHWAY DISTRICTS. Table showing the Number of Motor-cycles registered in the Dominion, according to Highway Districts, at 31st December, 1927, 1928, 1929, 1930, and 1931.

TABLE No. 4.—REGISTRATIONS CANCELLED AT 1st JUNE, 1932. Table showing the Number of "Dormant "* 1929-30 Registrations included in the Register of Motor-vehicles on the 31st May, 1932, and which were cancelled on the 1st June, 1932, in accordance with Regulation 3, gazetted on the 8th March, 1928, under the Motor-vehicles Amendment Act, 1927.

26

Highway District. j District No. 1927. 1928. 1929. 1930. 1931. : : B * ® , I " I Auckland North .. .. 1 3,923 1,890* 2,107* 2,266* 2,036* Auckland South .. .. 2 2,812 5,718* 6,236* 6,594* 6,821* Tauranga .. .. .. 3 646 688 736 753 708 Gisborne .. .. .. 4 432 480 518 531 562 Hawke's Bay .. .. 5 2,135 2,108 2,036 ' 1,871 1,860 King-country .. .. j 6 356 375 404 416 443 Taranaki .. .. .. 7 2,412 2,650 2,759 2,782 2,423 Wanganui .. .. .. 8 1,742 1,706 1,696 1,598 1,341 Wellington West .. .. 9 4,383 4,617 4,614 4,526 4,347 Wellington East .. .. 10 937 939 946 934 749 Nelson 11 1,426 1,434 1,486 1,487 1,493 West Coast .. .. 12 609 632 657 641 733 Canterbury North .. .. 13 311 335 352 358 228 Canterbury Central .. .. 14 5,411 5,495 5,686 5,717 5,540 Canterbury South .. .. 15 2,566 2,583 2,622 2,555 2,278 Otago Central . . .. 16 365 373 371 379 315 Otago South .. .. 17 2,291 2,317 2,346 2,303 2,054 Southland 18 1,836 1,776 1,777 1,693 1,482 Totals 34,593 36,116 37,349 37,404 35,413 * Alterations in boundaries invalidate horizontal comparisons for the North Auckland and the South Auckland Districts beyond 1927.

m Highway District. Trucks. . Trailers. | '— 3Q £jj ' 13 Cars. I If ■■S -| f °y cles ' TotaK Name. No. g g M'g . J J § gj | P I "f 1 11 45 +3 !> -f o M f 7 M TH C<J CO *«> <0 0«0 H co M H _ Auckland North .. 1 306 128 30 10 3 1 .. .. 9 .. 3 16 2 .. 180 688 Auckland South .. 2 1,039 334 79 40 23 7 3 .. 22 2 6 19 8 2 594 2,178 Tauranga .. 3 204 52 12 3 .. 1 .. .. 2 5 .. 90 369 Gisborne .. 4 184 25 16 .. 2 1 .. .. 1 2 .. 2 .. .. 44 277 Hawke's Bav 5 525 128 28 12 12 5 .. 2 4 1 1 9 4 1 237 969 Kins-country .. 6 150 76 21 4 2 . 1 2 3 3 1 43 306 Taranaki 7 319 67 16 7 2 5 2 2.. 321 741 Wanganui .. 8 313 86 14 6 3 1 4 3 3 1 199 633 Wellington West .. 9 684 161 40 22 19 5 1 1 3 1 1 18 6 2 544 1,508 Wellington East .. 10 240 70 12 11 2 1 2 9 133 480 Nelson .. ..11 160 43 8 5 4 1 .. .. 2 .. .. 2 .. 1 175 401 West Coast .. 12 115 57 7 3 3 1 1 2 3 99 -91 Canterbury North 13 44 18 2 1 .... 1 .... 2 2 2 4 .. 29 105 Canterbury Central 14 520 100 16 13 3 9 1 34 6 1 618 1,321 Canterbury South 15 467 77 11 7 3 2 1 .. 6 20 24 23 7 1 356 1,005 Otago Central ..16 95 31 .. 3 3 3 .. 6 .. .. 44 185 Otago South .. 17 384 74 9 2 8 4 1 .. 3 4 1 10 4 .. 193 697 Southland ..18 387 57 10 4 5 1 .... 2 1 .. 8 4 1 238 718 Totals, 1932 .. .. 6,136 1,584 331 153 94 j 36 7 3 63 49 44 169 56 10 4,137 12,872 Totals, 1931 .. .. 5,669 1,277 297 126 83 29 4 1 106 85 47 j 96 71 j 18 4,894 12,785 * " Dormant" means vehicles which have been registered but not licensed for the current year.

H.—4o.

TABLE No. 5.—MOTOR-VEHICLE REGISTRATIONS AT 31st MARCH, 1932. Table showing the Number of Motor-vehicle Registrations, including "Dormant"*, but excluding Cancelled Registrations, up to and including the 31st March, 1932.

TABLE No. 6.—REGISTRATIONS CANCELLED UP TO AND INCLUDING 30th JUNE, 1932. Table showing the Number of Cancelled Motor-vehicle Registrations up to and including the 30th June, 1932.

27

Flighway District. Trucks (Pay-load Capacity). j Trailers. «5 j M "3 io-o-o-o-io- 58 * m 3 3 -d.2 TJ-S d-S tsS . J g g . g £ Cars. gco g»ô g® o A a 5 -I -g S Cycles. Totals. Nam®. No. §3 g| §! §! g| §| ® I | 2 | | I H m:N 1) f-j Q oq 2 b-r ®2 ICO oO ®0 t) ; >c >d >g <=» O j |O iO H o o o B 50 Auckland North 1 7,172 1,587 651 45 10 6 2 1 154 .. 4 79 39 17 2,053 11,820 Auckland South .. 2 30,712 5,272 1,923 344187 64 6 5 248 8 41 210 66 87 6,923 46,096 Tauranga .. 3 3,955 826 275 28 4 3 .... 34 .. .. 24 26 9 725 5,909 Giaborne .. 4 3,662 374 200 58 14 3 .. .. 36 3 1 17 18 11 568 4,965 Hawke'sBay .. 5 10,108 1,659 643 148 74 30 5 2 67 4 19 78 60 26 1,879 14,802 King-country .. 6 2,264 512 309 25 6 18 3 3 23 15 6 450 3,634 Taranaki .. 7 8,790 1,233 471 86 37 28 1 2 36 3 1 37 12 21 2,448 13,206 Wanganui .. 8 6,619 978 322 92 25 7 .... 45 3 1 42 31 24 1,368 9,557 Wellington West.. 9 19,714 2,774 1,125 327 208 72 2 6 150 8 16 188 91 85 4,388 29,154 Wellington East .. 10 5,598 804 233 67 22 8 1.. 30 13 3 90 32 18 756 7,675 Nelson.. .. 11 4,979 701 258 60 25 18 3 1 48 11 2 60 33 18 1,506 7,723 West Coast .. 12 2,364 518 228 39 18 111 52 .. 4 46 19 15 747 4,053 Canterbury North 13 1,624 264 85 13 9 7 2.. 10 6 3 15 28 ' 1 232 2,299 Canterbury Central 14 16,586 2,110 626 151 53 33 11 2 63 51. 76 438 66 55 5,592 25,913 Canterbury South 15 11,084 1,321 345 96 50 17 4 .. 87 127 86 325 51 25 2,302 15.920 Otago Central .. 16 1,991 294 72 21 3 1 .. .. 22 6 4 29 15 5 318 2*781 Otago South .. 17 8,837 1,272 482 118 .54 19 5 .. 67 32 8 221 42 28 2,088 13,273 Southland .. 18 8,236 931 408 58 33 10 2 1 69 20 2 102 48 18 1,514 11,452 Totals .. .. 154,29523,4308,6S6 1,776 832 327 45 21 1,236298 274 2,024692 469 35,857 230,232 * " Dormant" means vehicles which have been registered but not licensed for the current year.

Highway District. Tracks (Pay-load Capacity). Trailers. ® • : <g .o 2d O d O d 5g .a cq -g a pI 0 P! 0 (3 0 Ō 0 S3 0 . 2 SP H «j |> 2 rcj+p tj-f TJ += fl o 3 _£j O i Cars - «d I N § OT I I i fe H "S -2 Cycles. Totals. ii n ii §i ii i! t I i i | a s H rH i i -t- 3 I -P > 4J g 3 a eō 2 rH „ «I „W g -* (D .B t ,£ « u g N ® oovo®qajooo tJ jf © O © C © ®9 Auckland North .. I 1,366 489 105 33 18 5 .... 65 2 9 40 19 27 938 3,116 Auckland South .. 2 4,200 1,270 305136 73 17 5 .. 125 20 17 45 50 41 2,691 8,995 Tauranga ..3 708 197 39 15 4 3 .... 14 ... . 10 13 5 383 1,391 Gisborne ..4 669 94 43 5 7 7 .... 17 4 2 13 2 11 227 1,101 Hawke'sBay .. 5 1,987 433 106 41 53 7 .. 4 29 13 13 23 22 28 1,589 4,348 King-country .. 6 479 212 53 22 8 1 .... 14 2 3 5 8 4 234 1,045 Taranaki .. 7 1,343 229 55 34 16 26 .... 13 2 .. 8 11 14 1,533 3,284 Wanganui .. 8 1,235 272 71 35 19 9 1 .. 14 7 3 24 22 9 1,063 2,784 Wellington West .. 9 3,472 769 194122 79 19 4 1 74 11 14 47 47 25 2,874 7,752 Wellington East .. 10 927 216 55 29 11 1 1 .. 14 11 9 34 4 3 720 2,035 Nelson .. ..11 694 151 28 18 9 4 2 .. 20 17 6 7 15 6 826 1,803 West Coast .. 12 416 166 23 12 13 1 .... 12 1 5 11 6 6 395 1,067 Canterbury North 13 164 41 7 2 3 .. 1 .. 1 13 13 6 14 3 175 443 Canterbury Central 14 2,560 434 67 41 20 4 .. .. 14 78 66 100 19 33 3,169 6,605 Canterbury South 15 1,790 219 47 12 14 9 3 . . 33 131 103 44 23 6 1,710 4,144 Otago Central ..16 362 6J 2 6 2 5 .. .. 8 10 .. 10 3 .. 237 706 Otago South .. 17 1,696 370 49 19 21 9 1 2 14 36 9 24 10 11 1,365 3,636 Southland .. 18 1,649 198 30 15 20 10 .. .. 12 24 3 19 13 7 1,410 3,410 Totals to June, 1932 .. 25,717 5,821 1279597 380 137 18 7 493 382 275 470 301 239 21,519 57,665 Totals to June, 1931 ..19,033 4,109 896428 291 100 10 4 410 332 231 299 242 228 17,284 43,897

H.— 40.

TABLE No. 7.—PETROL-TAX ALLOCATION TO BOROUGHS WITH 6,000 OR MORE POPULATION. Table showing the Distribution of the Petrol-tax to Boroughs with a Population of 6,000 and over.

TABLE No. 8.—TRANSPORT LICENSING ACT, 1931. Table showing the Position with respect to Applications for Passenger-service Licenses as at March, 1932.

28

Year ended 31st March, 1932. Total since Inception of Boroughs. Amount of Tax, Quarter ended Petrol-tax up to . ; 31st March, 1932. June. September. December. March. Total. £ s. d. £ s. d. £ s. d. £ s. d. £ s. d. £ s. d. Wellington City .. 4,550 9 3 4,214 5 10 4,545 0 10 4,190 4 11 17,500 0 10 55,080 18 8 Auckland City .. 4,309 13 6 3,991 5 9 4,304 10 10 3,968 10 5 16,574 0 6 52,910 6 2 Christchurch City.. 3,652 12 3 3,382 15 5 3,648 5 3 3,363 9 5 14,047 2 4 45,214 15 10 DunedinCity .. 2,783 6 8 2,577 14 1 2,780 0 4 2,563 0 1 10,704 1 2 34,474 13 10 WanganuiCity .. 1,022 6 6 946 16 0 1,021 2 2 941 7 11 3,931 12 7 12,774 10 7 Palmerston Nth. City 857 0 9 793 14 6 856 0 4 789 3 11 3,295 19 6 10,284 8 9 Mount Albert .. 840 14 3 778 12 1 839 14 3 774 3 3 3,233 3 10 10,255 2 3 Invercargill City .. 832 11 0 771 0 11 831 11 2 766 12 11 3,201 16 0 10,208 16 0 Mount Eden .. 816 4 6 755 18 6 815 5 2 751 12 3 3,139 0 5 10,089 4 7 Timaru .. .. 685 12 7 634 19 7 684 16 3 631 7 1 2,636 15 6 8,391 11 10 Napier .. .. 661 2 11 612 6 0 660 7 2 608 16 2 2,542 12 3 8,241 7 5 New Plymouth .. 648 18 0 600 19 3 648 2 6 597 10 8 2,495 10 5 7,860 5 11 Hamilton .. 628 9 11 582 1 3 627 14 3 578 14 10 2,417 0 3 7,700 10 11 Gisborne .. 579 10 5 536 14 2 578 16 7 533 12 11 2,228 14 1 7,091 5 4 Lower Hutt .. 571 7 2 529 3 0 570 13 7 526 2 7 2,197 6 4 6,372 5 11 Onehunga .. 455 9 1 421 16 2 454 18 3 419 8 0 1,751 11 6 5,677 14 8 TTa.at.inga .. 461 3 4 427 111 460 12 4 424 13 3 1,773 10 10 5,664 10 11 Petone .. .. 448 18 6 415 15 2 448 7 10 413 7 9 1,726 9 3 5,462 15 1 Nelson City .. 440 15 3 408 4 0 440 4 9 405 17 5 1,695 1 5 5,438 10 4 Devonport .. 422 16 1 391 11 5 422 6 1 389 6 9 1,626 0 4 5,268 1 6 Masterton .. 350 19 7 325 1 0 350 11 3 323 3 11 1,349 15 9 4,354 1 8 St. Kilda .. 335 9 5 310 13 9 335 1 6 308 18 3 1,290 2 11 4,182 11 6 Oamaru .. .. 310 3 4 287 5 1 309 15 11 285 12 3 1,192 16 7 3,840 19 0 Whangarei .. 310 3 4 287 5 0 309 15 11 285 12 3 1,192 16 6 3,716 6 7 Takapuna .. 284 1 0 263 1 3 283 14 3 261 11 3 1,092 7 9 3,527 3 11 G-reymouth .. 252 4 3 233 11 8 251 18 4 232 5 0 969 19 3 2,410 13 5 One Tree Hill .. 326 9 10 302 7 5 326 2 1 300 12 11 1,255 12 3 2,212 4 0 Totals .. 27,838 12 8 25,782 0 2 27,805 9 2 25,634 18 4 107,0610 4 338,705 16 7

] Number of Applica- Applica- Decisions i Number of tions to be dealt ; Number of Decisions given. tions Vief«>rr«.i> Licenses I with. withdrawn.; aeierrea. issued. Applications Applications granted. refused. Licensing Authority. i & s .1 & s & I . b I . £ |L & §■3 3 g 13 S § § ■a g| ' g -3 S § N I ill -i 1 § I -i I 11.1 11 m I 11 1 1 i! * O S S O O O CD 4> O Om©iOOgji»O|O<Li4i O O 02 H H O U2 j B B O O2 B B O 02 H j B O O2 B H !' G !K B H ■ : I j| ! Auckland Metropolitan .. 12 .. .. 12 ] 10 .. .. 10 ..10|... .. 10 Wellington Metropolitan .. 5 .. ..! 5 5.. .. 5 ; ..... j Christchurch Metropolitan .. 7 .. .. 7 7.. .. 7 1 1 .. | ., Dunedin Metropolitan .. .. 24 2 3 29 23 2 ., 25 j.. Central Licensing Authority .. 225 2 47 274 126| 1 5132 26 1 7 34 .'. 5 5 No. 1 Licensing Authority* .. 52 .. 8 60!| | j j • ■ j No. 2 Licensing Authority .. 70 .. 6 76 26 .. .. 26 2 .. . .j 2 : 1 .. .. l|j 8 .. .. 8.. No. 3 Licensing Authority* .. 100 1 16! 117 .......... No. 4 Licensing Authority .. 103 .. 21 124 69 .. ..169 6.... 6 1.... 1 3.... 3 No. 5 Licensing Authority .. 74 131 106 481 1 .. 49 5 .. .. 5 4 .... 4 j No. 6 Licensing Authority .. 69 1 33 103 42 1 20 63 3.. 2 5 1 3..;.. 3.... 20 20 No. 7 Licensing Authority .. 83 .. 13 96 68 .. 1 69 2 .... 2i No. 8 Licensing Authority .. 27 .. 29 56 18.. .. 18 j ....!.. .. 18.. .. 18 No. 9 Licensing Authority .. 56 15 71 1421 .... 6 6 ...... ...... 6 6 No. 10 Licensing Authority .. 44 1126 17l| .... 73; 73 ....j 73 73 Totals .. .. 951 234041,378 442 5105552 44 1 9 54 6..L. 6 14.... 14 28 .. 104132 * Meetings of these Authorities were not held before 31st March, 1932. JST.B. A large number of the applications shown in the first four columns had not been considered at 31st March, 1932.

5—H. 40,

H. —40.

TABLE No. 9,—PASSENGER-SERVICE STATISTICS FOR YEAR ENDING 31st MARCH, 1931. The following table shows by district, and in total, the number of vehicle-miles run, the number of passengers carried, capital invested, revenue earned, and operatingcosts :—

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Transport Districts under Transport Licensing Act, 1931. — — . Total. 81 " 1 11 0 ' x - No - 2 ' No " 3 - No - 4 - No ' B ' j 0 ' 6- Na 7- i No ' 8- No ' 9 ' j Ho ' 10 - i j Number, i Number. Number. Number. Number. Number. Number. Number. Number. Number. Number. Number. Number. Vehicle-miles run .. .. 3,996,397 12,306,967 776.001 2,571,588 1,744,886 3,734,605 1,304,387 747,477 2,287,477 692,642 349,578 893,461 21,405,466 Passengers carried .. .. 2,938,720 371,810 440,677 3,132,224 668,119 2,411,670 640,364 196,836 934,594 929,276 252,591 199,865 13,116,746 i ! Capital — £ : £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ Invested by owner .. . . 108,334 128,895 29,617 52,707 55,495 77,923 32,801 27,353 j 41,963 36,382 8,442 28,003 627,915 Borrowed* .. .. .. 3,566 6,914 5,604 7,931 5,261 17,128 4,720 2,945 ! 4,030 4,364 4,153 3,399 70,015 Total .. .. 111,900 | 135,809 35,221 60,638 60,756 95,051 37,521 30,298 45,993 40,746 12,595 31,402 697,930 Revenue — £££££ ££££££££ Passengers .. .. .. 152,744 94,037 27,891 171,920 70,045 102,572 47,889 31,083 62,924 30,501 11,994 30,835 834,435 Mails .. .. .. 2,319 2,758 2,955 1,058 1,851 5,048 4,033 1.953 2,136 1,730 1,561 938 28,340 Goods and parcels .. .. 5,045 j 4,335 2,323 1,252 2,692 5,698 2,360 2,759 3,082 1,371 1,362 3,518 35,797 Total .. .. 160,108 I 101,130 j 33,169 174,230 74,588 113,318 54,282 35,795 68,142 33,602 14,917 35,291 898,572 Operating costs — j (a) Running costs — £ £ j £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ Petrol • .. .. 34,000 25,985 1 8,277 41,873 18.958 29,127 13,208 7,404 16,218 8,261 2,861 9,239 215,411 Lubricants .. .. 2,566 2,644 287 3,243 920 2,261 469 683 906 312 232 669 15,192, Tires.. .. .. 6,906 3,118 2,030 5,832 2,601 5,898 1,961 1,444 2,711 1,648 468 2,487 37,104 Maintenance and repairs 18,345 8,710 2,357 20,060 6,782 11,511 6,211 6,622 4,425 3,214 1,099 2,349 91,685 Depreciation .. .. 19,378 j 10,889 3,434 13,391 10,074 12,866 4,534 2,416 8,462 3,425 1,948 4,690 95,507 Total .. .. 81,195 51,346 16,385 84,399 ] 39,335 61,663 26,383 18,569 32,722 16,860 6,608 19,434 454,899 (b) Standing charges — if . £ £ £ ; £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ License fees .. .. j 3,968 2,737 1,165 7,383 2,436 3,421 1,725 1,256 2,360 922 678 1,138 29,189 Wages .. ., 30,578 17,784 7,391 49,660 ; 20.950 28,082 15.796 9,271 17,085 9,985 3,049 6,576 216,207 Insurance .. .. j 5,804 ; 2,165 1,006 4.622 1,594 3,008 1,387 942 1,370 1.157 422 933 24.410 Garage fees .. ..I 4,796 j 570 55 209 158 1,273 j 54 220 238 14 55 188 7,830 Total .. .. 45,146 23,256 9,617 61,874 25,138 35,784 : 18,962 11,689 21,053 12,078 4,204 8,835 277,636 (c) General overhead expenses — Management and office £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ expenses .. .. 22,999 7,683 1.002 11,097 6,175 13,149 . 5,179 2,091 6,085 2,485 337 1,856 80,138 Advertising .. .. 1,619 1,435 136 873 884 1,008 780 215 578 344 116 162 8,150 Total .. .. 24,618 9,118 1,138 11,970 7,059 14,157 J 5,959 2,306 6,663 2,829 453 2,018 88,288 Total operating cost 150,959 83,720 27,140 158,243 71,532 111,604 i 51,304 32,564 60,438 31,767 11,265 30,287 820,823 ' j _ : ' I : I ■ ■ ■! Kj... ■ * Excluding unpaid purchase-money on vehicles held under the hire-purchase system.

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TABLE No. 10.—EXPENDITURE ON ROADS, STREETS, BRIDGES, AND FOOTWAYS, YEAR ENDED 31st MARCH, 1931. Table showing the Expenditure on Roads, Streets, Bridges, and Footways, for the Year ended 31st March, 1931, classified according to (a) Nature of Expenditure, and (b) Source of Moneys expended.

SUMMARY.

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Source of Money. County Roads. Main Highways. Urban Roads. Total. (a) Maintenance. £ £ £ £ Local rates .. .. .. 806,916 260,047 972,412 2,039,375 Motor taxation .. .. 201,064 987,346 219,965 1,408,375 General taxation .. .. 32,848 .. .. 32,848 Totals .. .. 1,040,828 1,247,393 1,192,377 3,480,598 (b) Construction. £ £ £ £ Loans •• •• 1,619,943 669,299 487,987 2,777,229 Local rates.. .. .. 7,221 5,966 24,399 37,586 Motor taxation .. .. .. 302,637 .. 302,637 Totals .. .. 1,627,164 977,902 512,386 3,117,452 (c) Capital Charges. £ £ £ £ Local rates.. .. .. 283,245 137,800 641,485 1,062,530 Motor taxation .. .. .. 224,605 .. 224,605 General taxation .. .. 970,654 323,551 .. 1,294,205 Totals • 1,253,899 685,956 641,485 2,581,340

County Roads. Main Highways. | Urban Roads. Totals. I Item— £ £ £ £ Maintenance .. .. 1,040,828 1,247,393 1,192,377 3,480,598 Construction .. .. 1,627,164 977,902 512,386 3,117,452 Capital charges .. .. 1,253,899 685,956 641,485 2,581,340 Totals •• •• 3,921,891 2,911,251 2,346,248 9,179,390 Source of money— Local rates .. .. 1,097,382 403,813 1,638,296 3,139,491 General taxation .. .. 1,003,502 323,551 .. 1,327,053 Motor taxation .. .. 201,064 1,514,588 219,965 l'935^617 Loan .. .. .. 1,619,943 669,299 487,987 2' 777 '.229 Totals .. .. 3,921,891 2,911,251. 2,346,248 9,179,390

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TABLE No. 11. —NUMBER OF VEHICLES AND HEAVY-TRAFFIC LICENSE FEES, 1931-32. Table showing for the Year ended 31st March, 1932, the Number of Vehicles in respect of which Heavy-traffic License Fees were paid, and the Amounts of these Fees paid.

TABLE No. 12.—LENGTH OF ROADS, STREETS, AND BRIDGES. Table showing the Lengths of the various Classes of Roads, Streets, and Bridges in the Dominion at 31st March, in the Years 1922 to 1931.

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Number of Vehicles. Amount of Fees. (Gross Weight.) Pneumatic Solid Tires Bot ?J! oll<1 Pneumatic Solid Tires B0t o h ? olld Tires on on all p ,, Total. Tires on on Total, all Wheels. Wheels. tS a11 wllee l s - a1 ' Wheels. (a) Goods Vehicles. £ £ £ £ A—Over 2 tons-not more than tons 2,418 47 11 2,476 9,628 389 j 51 10,068 B „ H „ 3 „ 2,617 40 2 2,659 14,522 328 16 14,866 C „ 3 „ 3i „ 2,244 36 8 2,288 16,437 558 74 17,069 D „ 3J „ 4 „ 1,417 58 9 1,484 13,533 1,047 114 14,694 E „ 4 „ 4|- „ 913 60 5 978 9,947 1,392 ! 84 11,423 F » 4J „ 5 „ 521 57 9 587 6,859 1,550 142 8,551 G „ 5 „ 5i „ 403 61 2 466 6,022 1,581 33 7,636 H „ 5J „ 6 „ 375 76 5 456 6,966 2,697 31 9,694 Ī ,, 6 „ G-tr „ 234 69 4 307 4,471 3,009 103 7,583 J „ 6J „ 7 „ 200 67 6 273 4,615 3,004 181 7,800 K „ 7 „ 1\ „ 100 41 2 143 2,599 1,754 52 4,405 L „ » 8 » 128 45 4 177 4,142 2,322 126 6,590 M „ 8 „ Si „ 77 50 .. 127 2,392 2,804 .. 5,196 N .. „ 9 „ 41 34 2 77 1,420 1,827 33 3,280 O „ 9 „ 9J „ 22 27 3 52 840 1,878 126 2,844 I' „ 9J „ 10 „ 35 96 6 137 1,695 7,487 280 9,462 Q .» 10 „ 15 „ 10 12 .. 22 255 779 .. 1,034 (Six-wheelers) Total .. .. .. 11,755 876 78 12,709 106,343 34,406 | 1,446 142,195 (b) Passenger Vehicles. Not more than twenty passengers .. 1,243 .. .. 1,243 14,184 .. .. 14,184 Over twenty and under thirty passengers 210 .. .. 210 8,461 .. .. 8,461 Over thirty passengers .. .. 157 .. .. 157 9,082 .. .. 9,082 Total .. .. .. 1,610 .. .. 1,610 31,727 .. | .. 31,727

Roads and Streets formed to not less than "£ £ Jg ° Dray-width, and paved or surfaced a> -r with— £ § . § - - m >> p< Total „ .,, jUnformed Total Year. -8 | Formed f rl Y e " | Legal of all . Bitu - „. „ , °t her %J* o a-i Roads. * raoks - i Rofds. Roads, minous or Bitumen Metal or I and Un- m a o Cement or Tar. j Gravel, i specified ts S <& *• •& Concrete. j Material. J j> 5 J! § Miles. Miles. Miles. Miles. Miles. Miles. I Miles. Miles. Miles. 1922 .. .. 26,787|* 44,244 5,0951 13,631! 62,971 1923 .. .. 27,8151* 17,79l| 45,607 13,613 1924.. .. 17,222f 45,776 I 5,218| 13,630| 64,624| ; r , _a __^ 1925 .. .. 58|j 639 28,243| 4581 16,748 46,147f 5,18H 15,676| 67,006 1926 .. .. 97| 836 28,981 J 340| 16,521f 46,777| 5,009| 15,792| 67,579| 1927 .. .. j 133 1,012 29,7261 373 | ]6,107| 47,352| 5,093 15,795 68,24O| 1928.. .. 217 1, 262 J 30,669|- 129| 15,381 J 47,659| 5,040| 15,6691 68,369| 1929.. .. 254 1,472 31,334 125| 15,1351 4 8:32 i 5,399| 15,1971 68,918J 1930.. .. ! 306 l,724f 32,352| 8 3 14,600J 49,066! 5,375 16,5061 70,947| 1931 .. .. 339! 1,8921 32,855! H6 14,374! 49,578| 5,642-1 16,923! 72,144 Note. —Figures for earlier years, particularly in regard to unformed legal roads, are not claimed to be entirely accurate.

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TABLE No. 13.—LENGTH OF BRIDGES. Table showing the Lengths of the various Kinds of Bridges in the Dominion at 31st March, in the Years 1923 to 1931.

TABLE No. 14.—TAXATION OF MOTOR-VEHICLES, 1923-1932. Table showing the Annual Yield for the Years ended 31st March, 1923 to 1932, in respect of (a) Customs Duties on Motor-vehicles and Parts; (b) Tire-tax; (c) Motorspirits Tax; (d) Fees, etc., under the Motor-vehicles Act, 1924; (e) Heavy-traffic Fees; and (f) Drivers' Licenses.

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Bridges, 25 ft. and over in Length, constructed with — t q, -l Australian or [ Other and Totals. v Iron Stone and other . Unspecified Year. and Steel. . Concrete. Hardwood. TimberS " Material. I J . T i Total Total ! Total j Total v r) Total vr ( . Total | Length. Length. ! Length. , ' Length. ' Length. ' Length. Ft. Ft. Ft. Ft. Ft. Ft. 2923 .. * * * * * * * * * * 2,955f 328,766t 1924 * * * * * * * * * * 3,297f362,034f 1925 . 131 20,315 408 36,840 1,466 180,529 2,035 167,557 74 8,601 4,114 413,842 1926 175 26,227 431 39,127 1,665 197,735 2,029 161,084 83 8,656 4,383 432,829 1927 .. 193 26,144 489 42,804 1,850 217,600 1,959 148,427 156 14,041 4,647 449,016 1928 171 24,779 545 47,833 2,013 229,208 1,994 153,078 111 12,844 4,834 467,742 1929 206 29,089 608 52,761 2,137 242,474 2,181 165,525 118 9,590 5,250 499,439 1930 232 32,330 671 57,739 2,285 245,867 2,164 168,120 38 5,447 5,390 509,503 1931 .. 272 34,819 751 66,292 2,396 253,057 2,164 164,940 23 4,176 5,606 523,284 * Detailed figures not available. t 30 and over in length.

Customs Duties i Fees, &c., Year ended in respect of , 1 Motor-spirits under Motor- Heavy-traffic Drivers' Total 31st March, Motor-vehicles Tax. vehicles Act, Fees. Licenses. and Parts.* 1924. 1923 .. 221,679 121,092 .. .. 342,771 1924 .. 621,470 123,568 .. .. .. I .. 745,038 1925 .. 802,903 152,303 .. 257,500 .. .. 1,212,706 1926 .. 1,007,641 228,711 .. 86,681f 114,009 33,162 I 1,470,204 1927 1074,052 190,575 .. 395,797 220,616 50,650 1,931,690 1928 .. 856,556 227,451 143,516 345,510 157,651 52,495 1,783,179 1929 .. 1,045,635 196,747 802,232 244,598 190,789 36,830 2,516,831 1930 .. 1,432,412 155,910 961,907 391,368 183,486 56,578 3,181,661 1931 .. 828,878 130,408 1,300,050 393,798 194,557 59,462 2,907,153 1932 .. 272,992 85,438 1,677,520 370,126 173,922 50,0001 2,629,998 Totals up to 8,164,218 1,612,203 4,885,225 2,485,378 1,245,030 339,177 18,721,231 31st March, 1932 _ __ * Calendar year. Includes primage and surtax on vehicles and parts; also on all tires and tire-tax on tires attached to vehicles or parts. f Alteration in licensing period. J Estimated.

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TABLE No. 15.—FATAL MOTOR ACCIDENTS. Table showing Analyses of various Data relating to Fatal Motor Accidents in the Dominion during the Years ended 31st March, 1930, 1931, and 1932.

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Year ended 81st March, 1930. 1931. 1932. 1. Number of Accidents. (a) Classified according to Main Causes. Collisions— Motor-vehicle with pedestrian .. .. 52 55 30 ,, motor-vehicle.. .. 40 75 29 ,, train .. .. 7 II 8 ,, tram .. .. 1 1 1 bicycle .. ..12 7 11 ,, horse-vehicle or horse 4 11 under control ,, fixed object .. .. 6 8 15 ,, straying stock .. 1 1 No collisions— Went over bank .. .. .. 27 29 22 Otherwise . . .. .. 22 33 31 Total accidents .. .. 172 221 148 (b) Classified according to Hour of Accident. Midnight to 1 a.m. .. .'. .. .. 4 4 1 to 6 a.m. .. .. . . .. 7 8 3 6 to 7 a.m. .. .. .. . . 1 1 .. 7 to 8 a.m. .. .. ..175 8 to 9 a.m. . . .. .. .. 6 5 1 9 to 10 a.m. .. .. .. . . 4 4 4 10 to 11 a.m. .. .. 5 10 6 11 to noon .. .. .. 11 15 8 12 to 1 p.m. .. ..-.. .. 4 5 9 1 to 2 p.m. .. .. .. 10 4 9 2 to 3 p.m. .. .. .. .. 8 13 8 3 to 4 p.m. .. .. .. .. 2 16 8 4 to 5 p.m. .. .. .. .. 24 18 14 5 to 6 p.m. .. .. .. .. 23 20 17 6 to 7 p.m. .. .. .. 23 24 18 7 to 8 p.m. .. .. .. 11 16 9 8 to 9 p.m. .. .. 12 20 4 9 to 10 p.m. .. 5 7 9 10 to 11 p.m. .. .. 8 14 6 11 to 12 midnight .. .. .. 7 10 6 Total accidents .. 172 221 148 (c) Classified according to Day of Week. Sunday .. .. .. .. 26 33 24 Monday .. .. .. 23 28 21 Tuesday .. .. .. .. 17 24 14 Wednesday .. .. .. .. 28 25 10 Thursday .. .. .. .. 21 23 13 Friday .. .. . . .. 22 33 27 Saturday .. .. .. .. 35 55 39 Total accidents .. .. 172 221 148 (d) Classified according to Condition of Light. Daylight .. .. .. 86 89 93 Dusk .. .. .. .. 19 34 13 Artificial lighting.. .. .. .. 22 20 12 Darkness or moonlight .. . . .. 45 78 30 Total accidents .. .. 172 221 148 (e) Classified according to Nature of Thoroughfare. Intersection .. .. .. .. 19 18 17 Railway-crossing .. .. ..797 Nature or condition of road (bad surface or 48 51 27 bend, &c, contributed to accident) Road conditions not a factor .. .. 98 143 | 97 Total accidents .. .. 172 221 ! 148 (f) Classified according to Geographical f Location. (i) North IslandAuckland City and environs .. .. 29 25 28 Wellington City and environs .. 16 19 15 Other towns ' .. .. .. 20 31 14 Country .. .. .. .. 57 88 48 (ii) South Island — Christchurch City and environs .. 13 14 9 Dunedin City and environs .. .. 4 8 4 Other towns .. .. .. 8 11 11 Country .. .. .. 25 25 19 Total accidents .. .. 172 221 148

Year ended 31st March, 1930. 1931. 1932. I . 2. NUMBEE OF PeBSONS KILLED IN MOTOE ACCIDENTS. (a) Classified according to Age of the Person killed. 0-4 years .. .. .. .. 10 7 4 5-9 years .. .. .. .. 8 9 8 years .. .. .. .. 2 5 5 15-19 years .. .. .. .. 17 24 18 20-24 years .. .. .. .. 30 45 15 25-54 years .. .. .. .. 83 101 81 55 years and over .. ., .. 36 57 26 Total deaths .. .. .. 186 247 157 (b) Classified according to the Location of the Person killed. Pedestrians .. .. .. .. 53 55 28 On motor-cycles .. .. .. .. 51 58 47 On other motor-vehicles .. .. .. 68 119 72 On other vehicles or horses .. .. 14 15 10 Total deaths .. .. 186 247 157 3. Types of Vehicle involved. Motor-cycle .. .. .. .. | 59 64 51 Private motor-car .. .. . . i 105 132 75 Taxi-cab .. .. .. ..I 2 4 11 Service-car .. .. .. ,. g oil Motor-omnibus .. .. .. .. 3 514 Motor lorry or van .. .. .. 39 46 29 Bicycle .. .. .. .. ..12 7 I 11 Tf am .. .. .. ..211 Horse-drawn .. .. .. .. 4 Train .. .. .. .. .. 7 9 7 Other vehicle .. .. .. .. 1 .. 1 Total vehicles .. .. .. J 239 273 191 1 4. Breaches of Law, and othee Causes of Fatal Motoe Accidents. Breaches of law— . Excessive speed in circumstances — (a) But not exceeding 20 miles per hour .. ■ 33 6 5 (6) Exceeding 20 but not exceeding 35 miles ' 35 25 19 per hour (c) Exceeding 35 miles per hour .. ] 18 32 13 On wrong side of road :. .. .. I 24 38 9 Did not comply with " off-side " rule 7 7 7 Passing standing tram .. .. .. j 3 Other passing breaches . . 9 4 2 Failure of driver to signal motor-vehicles .. 3 Other vehicles .. .. .. .. 2 Breaches of law relating to railway intersections 7 11 7 Vehicle without rear reflector or with in- 2 2 1 efficient one Faulty brakes .. .. .. .. 8 9 6 No lights or inefficient lights (including horse- 22 17 9 vehicles and bicycles) Glaring headlights .. .. .. 4 10 2 Faulty steering-gear .. .. 3 4 3 Faulty tires or wheels .. .. 4 8 4 Driver's mild intoxication a factor in accident 12 26 7 Driver's severe intoxication a factor in acci- 3 7 4 dent Driver unlicensed or inexperienced .. 5 2 7 Straying stock .. .. .. .. 1 1 1 Other breaches of law .. .. .. 5 2 1 Other causes— Bad weather conditions .. .. .. 19 4 3 Vehicle being reversed .. .. . . 3 2 Obstruction to view by parked motor-vehicle 4 1 5 Sun-dazzle .. .. .. .. 2 Driver's physical defect a direct cause .. 4 .. 1 Motorist and pedestrian— Motorist at fault .. .. .. 17 9 1 Pedestrian (not intoxicated) crossing or on 17 30 12 road without care or becoming confused Pedestrian intoxicated .. .. .. 5 5 3 Children on streets .. ..277 Infant (under six) not under proper control.. 9 11 Other causes of pedestrian accidents .. 6 1 4 Causes not included under the above headings 4 22 34 Total causes .. .. .. 302 297 185

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No. 1 Transport District. All that area situated within the boundaries of the Counties of Mangonui, Whangaroa, Hokianga, Bay of Islands, Whangarei, Hobson, Otamatea, and Rodney, including all boroughs and town districts therein or contiguous thereto. No. 2 Transport District. All that area situated within the boundaries of the Waiheke Island and the Counties of Waitemata, Great Barrier, Frankliii, and Manukau, excluding the Mangere Riding of the lastnamed county, and including the Boroughs of Birkenhead, Northcote, Takapuna, Devonport, New Lynn, Otahuhu, Pukekohe, and the Town Districts of Helensville, Henderson, Glen Eden, Howick, Papatoetoe, Manurewa, Papakura, Tuakau, Waiuku, and Mercer. No. 3 Transport District. All that area situated within the boundaries of the Counties of Raglan, Waipa, Waikato, Hauraki Plains, Coromandel, Thames, Ohinemuri, Tauranga, Piako, Matamata, Rotorua, Taupo, Whakatane, and Opotiki, including all boroughs and town districts therein or contiguous thereto.

No. 4 Transport District. All that area situated within the boundaries of the Counties of Matakaoa, Waiapu, Uawa, Waikohu, Cook, Wairoa, Hawke's Bay, Waipawa, Waipukurau, Patangata, Danncvirke, Wood'ville, and Weber, including all boroughs and town districts therein or contiguous thereto. No. 5 Transport District. All that area within the boundaries of the Counties of Kawhia, Otorohanga, Waitomo, Clifton, Ohura, Taumarunui, Taranaki, Inglewood, Whangamomona, Kaitieke, Egmpnt, Stratford, Eltham, Waimarino, Waimate, West Hawera, Patea", Waitotara, Wanganui, and Rangitikei, including all boroughs and town districts therein or contiguous thereto. No. 6 Transport District. All that area situated within the boundaries of the Counties of Kiwitea, Poliangina, Oroua, Manawatu, Kairanga, Pahiatua, Akitio, Horowhenua, Eketahuna, Castlepoint, Mauriceville, Masterton, Wairarapa South, Eeatherston, Hutt, and Makara, including all boroughs and town districts therein or contiguous thereto other than the City of Wellington.

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No. 7 Transport District. All that area situated within the boundaries of the Counties of Collingwood, Takaka, Sounds, Waimea, Marlborough, Awatere, Buller, Murehison, Inangahua, Grey, and Westland, including all boroughs and town districts therein or contiguous thereto. No. 8 Transport District. All that area situated within the boundaries of the Counties of Kaikoura, Amuri, Cheviot, Waipara, Tawera, Ashley, Kowai, Rangiora, Oxford, Eyre, Malvern, Paparua, Waimairi, Heathcote, Halswell, Mt. Herbert, Akaroa, Wairewa, Springs, Ellersmere, Selwyn, Ashburton, Geraldine, Levels, Mackenzie, and Waimate, excluding the Christehurch Tramway District, but including all boroughs and town districts therein or contiguous thereto so far as they do not form portion of the Christchurch Tramway District. No. 9 Transport District. All that area situated within the boundaries of the Counties of Waitaki, Vincent, Maniototo, Waihemo, Waikouaiti, Taieri,

Tuapeka, Bruce, Clutha, and Lake, exclusive of the City of Dunedin; the Boroughs of Green Island, Port Chalmers, West Harbour, and St. Kilda ; and the area of the No. 225 Main Highway from Dunedin to Port Chalmers ; but inclusive of all other boroughs and town districts therein or contiguous thereto. Dunedin Transport District. All that area situated within the boundaries of the Dunedin City, the Boroughs of Green Island, Port Chalmers, West Harbour, and St. Kilda, the Peninsula County, and also of the area of the Number 225 Main Highway from Dunedin to Port Chalmers. No. 10 Transport District. All that area situated within the boundaries of the Counties of Fiord, Wallace, Southland, and Stewart Island, including all boroughs and town districts therein or contiguous thereto.

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TRANSPORT LICENSING ACT, 1931,—PERSONNEL OF LICENSING AUTHORITIES. The following statement shows the personnel of the various Licensing Authorities under the Transport Licensing Act, 1931 : — Name of Authority. Personnel. Central Licensing Authority .. .. Francis Vernon Frazer (Chairman). Steven Shepherd Allen (Acting-Chairman). Harry Bell Spearmen Johnstone. No. 1 Transport Licensing Authority .. William Jones (Chairman). Francis Augustine Jones. Alfred Graeme Cooke Yarborough. No. 2 „ . - John Andrew Charles Allum (Chairman). Thomas Hanna. Edward Clare Blomfield. No. 3 „ .. Ernest Leslie Walton (Chairman). Frank Joseph Farrell. John Gordon Cliff-McCulloch. No. 4 „ . • Frank Bannerman Logan (Chairman). Charles Matthews. Maurice Stirling Chambers. No. 5 „ • • Percy Thomson (Chairman). Robert Adams Wilson. John Christopher Rolleston. No. 6 „ .. George Alexander Troup (Chairman). Samuel Jickell. William Irvine Armstrong (Acting-Chairman). No. 7 „ .. Sidney Alfred Gibbs (Chairman). John William Hannan. William Thompson Churchward. No. 8 „ .. Charles Phipp Agar (Chairman). George Stephen Cray. Marmaduke Bethell. No. 9 „ .. Alexander Ivan Walker Wood (Chairman). John Preston. William Blackie. No. 10 „ .. Frederick George Hall-Jones (Chairman). Erskine Bowmar. William James Wesney. Personnel of Transport Appeal Board. Transport Appeal Board .. .. Francis Vernon Frazer (Chairman). Lisle Alderton. Thomas Jordan. -•r" — - '

Approximate Cost of Paper.—Preparation, not given ; printing (890 copies, including maps), £70.

By Authority : W. A. Q. Skinner, Government Printer, Wellington.—l 932,

Price Js. 3d.']

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SOUTH ISLAND OF NEW ZEALAND

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NORTH ISLAND OF NEW ZEALAND