n—4o,

2. DEVELOPMENT OP MOTOR TRANSPORT. A. REGISTRATIONS OF MOTOR-VEHTCLES, BY TYPES OF VEHICLE. Under the Motor-vehicles Act a new vehicle is registered and simultaneously licensed for the ensuing year or part thereof. The license is renewable each year. If a license is not renewed, the registration is classed as " dormant," and after remaining " dormant " for two complete years is cancelled, the assumption being that the vehicle in question is permanently off the road. If, however, the vehicle is again brought into use after its registration has thus been cancelled, it is treated as a new registration. The registration figures set out hereunder, therefore, are not an exact record of the number of new vehicles introduced into our traffic system ; they include an unknown but probably small number of vehicles which have been out of commission for more than two years. The following table sets out the annual registrations since 1939 :—

In comparison with the year 1939-40, new motor-car registrations for 1940-41 have fallen off by 62-69 per cent., commercial vehicles by 28-22 per cent., and motor-cycles by 4-80 per cent. B. MOTOR-VEHICLES LICENSED AS AT 31st MARCH, 1941. The appended figures show the number of motor-vehicles licensed for the year 1940-41 as at 31st March, 1941 (the licensing year expires on 31st May each year) : —

The< total number of vehicles licensed at the 31st March, 1941, is only 14 per cent, lower than the total for March, 1940. The number of motor-vehicles licensed as at 31st March, 1941, classified according to postal districts, are set out in Table No. 1. Table No. 2 of the Appendix sets out the number of motor-vehicles licensed each year since 1933. The number of " dormant " registrations—i.e., vehicles which although, registered had not been licensed for the current year—as at 31st March, 1941, were as under :—

2

Year ended 31st March, | Cars. Commercial Vehicles Cycles. j Total Registrations, 1939 .. .. .. 28,937 10,862 2,233 42,032 1940 .. .. .. 18,107 9,849 1,814 29,770 1941 . . .. 6,755 7,069 1,727 15,551

Type of Vehicle. North Island. South Island, j Ne^,^e^ an<^ Cars .. .. .. .. 143,610 71,906 215,516 Light trucks (2 tons and under laden) .. .. 18,276 8,921 27,197 Heavy trucks (over 2 tons laden) .. .. .. 14,679 6,601 21,280 Passenger trucks . .. .. .. .. .. 992 568 1,560 Omnibuses .. .. .. .. .. 535 212 747 Taxis .. .. .. .. .. .. 1,067 430 1,497 Service cars . . . . . . . . . . 350 229 579 Rental and private-hire cars .. .. .. 464 291 755 Dealers' cars . . . . . . 933 410 1,343 Local-authority road and " exempt" vehicles .. 3,123 3,278 6,401 Government vehicles 3,155 | 1,558 4,713 Trailers .. .. .. .. .. .. 7,984 5,136 13,120 Dealers' motor-cycles .. .. .. .. 65 38 103 Motor-cycles .. .. .. 11,478 6,798 18,276 Totals .. .. .. .. .. 206,711 106,376 313,087

Type of Vehicle. I i®®?' Total I Register. Register. ocal - Cars .. .. .. .. .. .. 7,417 10,283 17,700 Light trucks (2 tons and under laden) .. .. 3,144 3,343 6 487 Heavy trucks (over 2 tons laden) .. .. .. 1,377 1,534 2 911 Service cars .. .. .. .. .. 31 27 58 Taxis . . . . .. .. .. .. 20 16 36 Rental and private-hire cars .. .. .. 35 33 gg Passenger-trucks .. .. .. .. .. 50 54 104 Omnibuses . . .. .. .. . . 17 38 55 Local-body and exempt vehicles .. .. .. 798 1,294 2,092 Trailers .. .. .. .. .. .. 1,211 2'o77 3^288 Government vehicles .. .. .. 55 119 174 Motor-cycles .. .. .. .. .. 3,549 3,852 7,401 Totals .. .. .. .. .. 17,704 22,670 40,374