WAR INVENTIONS

Evening Post, Volume CXXXI, Issue 101, 1 May 1941, Page 8

WAR INVENTIONS

TESTS IN AUSTRALIA

COMPLAINTS OF INADEQUACY

(F.0.C.)

SYDNEY, April 24.

Charges that the testing of valuable Australian war inventions is being held up because the Miljfary Inventions Board is inadequate, are to be investigated by the Minister for the Army (Mr. Spender).

There is only one officer in Sydney to interview hundreds of inventors who are making scientific and engineering suggestions to the Army. It is suggested that a staff of scientific and engineering experts, similar to that in England, should be made available to assist inventors to make models of their inventions.

Several months ago a Sydney engineer submitted to military authorities a scheme to convert beaches into quicksands in case of an invasion. Impressed with the possibilities of the scheme, the inventions officer told the engnieer to make a working model of his . invention so that it could be demonstrated to higher authorities. The engineer said he had no time to do this, and the invention has not been considered since he first proposed it.

The one officer has to interview cranks as well as intelligent scientists and engineers whose inventions are worth while. Recently a man called on the inventions officer, and said: "I have a secret invention here which I must let you have." It took the man an hour to rig up the apparatus with detailed descriptions of the component parts. Then he said: "Its a wonderful scheme for fowls to drink out of."

Many valuable Australian inventions have been submitted and tested. This week an invention for making the flame from heavy guns invisible at night was tested. It was so successful that it will probably be adopted shortly. The flame from heavy guns makes an easy target for the enemy at night.

Mr. E. J. Barret, marine engineer, of Liverpool, near Sydney, complained that military authorities seven months ago rejected his idea of two-way tanks, now being used by the Germans in Greece. «

A Sydney consulting engineer, Mr. C. O. Harrison, said that scientists and engineers had lost enthusiasm because they were convinced that Defence authorities had no interest in new ideas.