MR J. S. WEARN WAS GIFTED INVENTOR

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31333, 1 April 1967, Page 14

MR J. S. WEARN WAS GIFTED INVENTOR

Mr James Stuart Wearn, the inventor of the periscopic destination indicator used on all Christchurch trams and later adopted by other main centres in New Zealand and in Australian cities, died in Christchurch recently.- He was 90.

Mr Wearn was born in Christchurch and began his working life as an engineer. He supervised the installation of machinery in dairy factories throughout New Zealand, later established his own business in dairy machinery, and started his inventions in his own workshop.

One of the best known of his Inventions was the Wearn’s automatic driverspeed reduction pulley, for which world-wide patents were granted. The drive was subsequently marketed, sales running into hundreds of thousands and separate manufacturers supplying the United Kingdom, the United States and European markets. Many of these drives are still in use overseas and in New Zealand.

Mr Wearn generally developed each invention to the stage at which it was ultimately marketed. Other inter-

esting inventions patented included a completely new type of water cooler, a radical new cream cooler, a separator speed indicator, and a new type of topdresser. At the outbreak of the First World War, Mr Wearn was commissioned by the New Zealand Government to work on a new type of rangefinding equipment, and this experimental work was carried out under security conditions.

In his early years Mr Wearn was an enthusiastic amateur cyclist, and was later an administrator who was appointed to the Dominion council controlling the sport In later years his sporting interests included yachting and power-boating, and he was also active in the administration on these sports.

Interested in advanced methods of photography, Mr Wearn exhibited successfully at many national exhibitions. He was a past-president of the Christchurch Photographic Society, and a life member of the Automobile Association (Canterbury).

Mr Wearn spent a great deal of his later years in overseas travel, but still experimented in his workshop.

He is survived by one son, Mr Stuart Wearn, of Christchurch.