1931-1937

1931

A December 10, 1932 Portsmouth Herald articles lists 111510 registratins in 1931 while the Federal Highway Administration lists 112117 registered automobiles and trucks. This was the first year in which the total registered vehicles decreased since plates were first issued in 1905.

1932

A new law passed in March of 1931 extended the validity of 1931 plates to noon on January 1 from the previous exparation time of midnight. 1932 plates could also be displayed starting on December 26, 1931. The Federal Highway Administration lists 105955 registered automobiles and trucks in the state for 1932, the second consecutive year of decreasing registrations. A December 10 Portsmouth Herald article indicates that 106527 motor vehicles were registered in the state as of that date, with 11635 1933 registrations having already been issued as well.

1933

In 1932 the State Legislature approved $200,000.00 for the development of State Prison industries. The change was necessitated due to federal laws prohibiting the shipment of prison made goods across state lines, reducing the work available for the prison's woodworking shop. Industries invested in included a license plate shop, sign shop, print shop, stone crusher, and farm. It was reported on June 11, 1932 that the plate manufacturing machinery had been ordered, and on June 21 it had been installed.

License plates for 1933 were manufactured for the first time by the New Hampshire State Prison in Concord. By September 21, 1932 the prison was stamping out 800 pairs of plates each day at the new metal working shop. The goal was to have 110000 pairs on hand for the coming year. At the published rate, the plate total could have been reached some time in February if the shop ran 7 days a week. A September 21, 1932 Portsmouth Herald article describes the plates as follows: "The plates next year will have green numbers on a white background and those already manufactured compate favorably in every way with those purchased in other years from out-of-state manufacturers." A December 8, 1932 article in the Portsmouth Herald stated that the plates were "nearly the same as those issued previously by State Motor Vehicle Dept. with a slight change in the width of some figures."

Plates cost $0.06 each to produce.

Motorists could register their vehicles for 1933 starting on October 1, 1932, though the new plates could not be displayed until December 27. There appeared to be no interest on the part of law enforcement in allowing leway for motorists who waited beyond the January 1 deadline to change over thier plates as was indicated by the Nashua Chief of Police in a December 28, 1932 Nashua Telegraph article.

The Federal Highway Administration lists 108505 registered automobiles and trucks in the state for 1933, a rebound from the decreasing figures of the previous two years.

The legislature considered a measure to extend the exparation of license plates to March 1 of the following year. A January 6, 1933 Nashua Telegraph article notes that it was believed that 40,000 more vehicles would be on the road in the winter months were it not for the burden of paying for a registration by January 1. A Portsmouth Herald article from October 27, 1933 notes that the Keene Chamber of Commerce was promoting an April 1 expiration, citing motorists inability to spend money at the turn of the year due to Christmas and general winter expenses. The Director of the Chamber of Commerce argued that the State would benefit from increased gas tax revenue should more automobiles be registered in the winter months.

1934

1934 license plates could be displayed beginning on December 27, 1933.

According to a December 29, 1933 Portsmouth Herald article, one apparently disgruntaled motorist was noted as having paid his $30 registration fee with 300 dimes.

The Federal Highway Administration lists 90663 registered automobiles in the state for 1934. Commercial vehicles were now issued their own class of plates, cutting down the number of registered passender vehicles though total registrations continued to climb. The dip in passenger registrations below the 100000 mark precluded the need for longer 6-digit plates.

Chapter 2 of the Laws of the State of New Hampshire, approved January 15, 1935, extended the expiration date of 1934 license plates to April 1st, 1935 and provided for the same practice to be in effect for the following 2 years. Interestingly, since the act was only approved on January 15th, 1934 plates that had been expired for two weeks were once again valid. Motorists who stored their cars for the winter would let their vehicle registrations lapse and would not register again until the spring. The legislature apparently believed that extending the registrations would encourage these motorists to drive earlier in the year. According to the Nashua Telegraph: "Advocates of the measure contend thousands of dollars would be recieved by the state in gas taxes under this plan with one estimate placing the additional yield at $67,000."

1935

As mentioned above, legislation passed ion January 15, 1935 created an unusual situation in which 1935 plates were valid from January 1, 1935 until April 1, 1936. 1936 plates could be displayed starting on January 1 which produced a 3 month period during which both 1935 and 1936 license plates were valid. The Commissioner of Motor Vehicles was concerned that discarded 1935 plates would be mis-used during the overlapping period by unscrupulous motorists:

"The matter of disposal of 1935 number plates by persons who procure thier 1936 plates for use beginning January 1, 1936 has arisen. If these plates are thrown carelessly to one side, they may be picked up by some person and put to use on a car that is not registered. If persons discarding their 1935 plates before April 1, 1936, will see that their 1935 plates are destroyed beyond use, the illegal use of 1935 plates will be avoided."

The Nashau Telegraph phrased the problem as follows:

"Some of those popular Massachusetts bandits might attain a reserve supply in this way (picking license plates from the dump). That would ease their problem of stealing plates for a bandit raid, a well known custom."

The paper also opined that:

"(The Commissioner's) campaign of publicity to advertise his request that all old number plates are carefully guarded or completely destroyed to prevent them from falling into hands which might use them illegally may put the idea of doing so into the heads of those who just would not have been bright enough to think of it all by themselves."

The commissioner also started a campaign against vehicles with faulty lights in December of 1935.

The Federal Highway Administration lists 93838 registered automobiles in the state for 1935. The state reported a total of 116513 "total registrations" as of December 31, which presumably includes all types of vehicles.

1936

Despite the new regulations extending the life of 1935 license plates, December 31 still saw a rush at the State House as drivers licenses still needed to be renewed by January 1. Some motorists took the opportunity to secure new plates at the same time.

By April 22, 73435 automobiles had been registered.

The Federal Highway Administration lists 97503 registered automobiles in the state for 1936. 1936 plates expired on April 1, 1937.

1937

For the first time since the 1905-1911 period, New Hampshire stamped low number plates on smaller blanks. Likely a cost saving measure, this resulted in passenger plates of 3 different sizes: Plates numbered 100 to 999 were 6" by 9 3/8", numbers 1000 to 9999 were 6" by 10 5/8", 10000 and up were 6" by 13 5/8".

For the first time since commercial vehicle registrations were split from passenger registrations plate numbers topped 100000. The Federal Highway Administration lists 100135 registered automobiles in the state for 1937, though higher numbers have been observed.