ROD’S PATENT

Dominion, Volume 21, Issue 291, 8 September 1928, Page 10

ROD’S PATENT

DEVELOPMENT OF SOUND RECEPTION SAID TO ELIMINATE STATIC There may be much, little, or nothing in the Press Association cable message received from London in respect to Mr. A. E. Rod’s patent sound reception device. This stated in effect that an interest had been acquired in the patent by Mr. John Maxwell, chairman of the British International Pictures, Ltd., who was forming a company with a capital of £250,000 to acquire the European rights. The local shareholders were asked to meet on Tuesday afternoon “to give shareholders an equal opportunity of hearing the contents of a cable received from Mr. Davis, London, bearing important and very satisfactory news.” The cablegram was to the effect that Mr. Maxwell had secured an option over the rights until October 28, and that Mr. Davis was leaving again for New Zealand on September 15. > The reference to Mr. Davis (who sent the cable message to the secretary of the local company, Mr. E. Stephens) is considered important, as it was not thought that Mr. Davis would be returning so soon unless something satisfactory had been arranged. The sender of the cable message is Mr. Arthur Davis, late managing director of the Exhibitors’ Alliance Films, N.Z., which company operated from offices in the De Luxe Theatre. Mr. Davis went Home with Mr. Rod to manage the business end.

The inventor of “Rod’s Patent” is Mr. Albert Edward Day’s Bay Rod. son of Mr. Edward Rod, who was at one time lessee of the Day’s Bay Pavilion,mnd is a nephew of Mr. J. Rod, of Oriental Parade. Mr. A. E. Rod, who is twenty-six years of age, is a native of Wellington, and was educated at Wellington College. When there, at the age of fourteen, he invented a clever toy, the rights for the manufacture and sale of which is said to have been purchased for £25. He has invented several other things, that are clever if not always practical, but he has been working on his sound reception patent for ten years past. Earlier in the year Mr. Rod gave general demonstrations of his patent to musicians, music lovers, and those interested in sound transmission, and none who were present failed to be impressed with what the device achieved. They described messages and music received from Sydney, as though projectors were in the room. Speech came through as free, clear, and natural in tone as though the person speaking into the microphone in Sydney was simply talking across the room. There was no deepning or lightening of the tones of musical instruments, as is often the case with radio —and, what was of as great importance, all static was completely eliminated. If such be the case, there is no reason to doubt that Mr. Rod has hit upon something of very great importance in connection with sound transmission.