H.—4o.

(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.

4

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