Cycling.& Motor News.

Free Lance, Volume XV, Issue 800, 29 October 1915, Page 20

Cycling.& Motor News.

By Toot-Toot. THERE is talk of Frank Kramer. the American "speed king," retiring from the racing arena. Kramer is reported to earn £2500 annually from his riding, and is reputed to be worth £40,000, all earned by his prowess on the wheel. The retirement of the American crack will leave tbe Australian, A. Goullet, absolute champion of the world. Even now it's a close thing between these two riders, but, with' Kramer out of the way, Goullet Avould undoubtedly rank as the world's fastest rider. The substitution of motor fire engines in the Commonwealth and New Zealand capitals for the old-time horsedrawn vehicles has been gradual, but sure, and to-day the major part of the fire fighting plant is petrol driven. In Melbourne alone the approximate value of the motor engines, etc., is £26,000. An attempt to establish a motor car record from Fremantle to Sydney via Adelaide and Melbourne, will probably be made during the next month. The party undertaking the trip will comprise Messrs. Hagh, Fraser, P.W. Armstrong, and two others. The car to be used is a 6-cyUnder Studebaker, shod with Dunlops. The distance' of this overland trip will approximate some 3077 miles. The bicycle record for this journey from west to east of the continent is. 31 days 3hrs 15mins, standing to the credit of F. Birtles. In the past a considerable number of foreign-made tyres have found a market in Australia., as well as in New Zealand, resulting in large sums of money

going overseas. In the twelve months previous to the Avar, over £350,000 of manufactured rubber goods, mostly motor tyres, were imported into the Commonwealth. There was really no sound reason why these imports should have been so high, for the Australianmade Dunlop has .no superior in the work, either for quality for service. One lesson the war has taught is that Australasians must make their country as self-contained as possible. Industries must be built up and supported in lieu of importing goods. Motorists can materially hplp by using Australasianmade tyres. -In this connection it is interesting to note that the recent Sydney deputation of rubber workers to the State Minister of Customs asked for a duty of 100 per cent, on imported rubber goods. Such a tariff was not asked for, nor is it desired,by the leading manufacturers, but use is being made of the incident to influence Australian motorists, inference being made that the consumers would have to pay. At the present time Australian-made tyres cost the consumers less than the imported—a fact that is appreciated by most motorists. Such action is hardly likely to discourage Australians from using Aus-tralian-made goods.