AUSTRALIAN MILITARY INVENTION.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 13369, 26 December 1906, Page 4

AUSTRALIAN MILITARY INVENTION.

BPI MS AT WORK

The strictest- secrecy is Ileitis übsei ved con* cerning an invention which is being ottered b\ a Victorian syndicate to the Home War Office for a million sterling. 'Hie invention was the work of a professional man who had no money to float it. Ami there was* a curious coincidence about it. because when the models had been completed another voting man appeared on the .scene with precisely the same uk-a, and he had to In taken into the syndicate. Stranger incidents still were happening, as a member of the svndieate explained to an Argus reimrter. ••Members of tie: syndicate." he said, " began to feel that they were under some sort of surveillance, and that in their absence from home their houses were searched. One member detected a domestic dropping the keys of a safe in his study to * stranger who stood in the garden beneath the window of her room. He cam* to the conclusion that secret service agents of some foreign Power were at work. In order to test'our suspicions we had plans ul an imaginary submarine drawn out roughly and locked in a private safe belonging to one of our members. Within 24 hours thev had disappeared." Aftei that- thev took no risks, because it the inventor happened to be speaking to any member of tin syndicate in the street theie would alway be at. unconcerned-looking third }>ersoii in the immediate vicinity. hen the inventor went nome the syndicate insured his life for £3000, and lie* had to undertake not- to go on deck afte. dark, never to smoke a ci°ar. not to drink any alcohol, and not to talk to lady passengers. The War Office did not "bite" at once, but soon became interested. and an Imperial officer inspected the plans in Australia. There are no models or plans now in existence, unless they have been prepared in London, localise tut originals were all carefully destroyed. and the inventor is not til liberty to submit the invention to any Government except that of Britain. Lord Roberts is said to have approved id it, and the practical inert in the syndicate believe that it will revolutionise one branch of defence construction. That is till the information at present available. The invention referred to may have something to do with' a recent cable from London stating that the British army will shortly be in possession ot a new propellant unequalled in the world, and that it will give them the advantage in small arms and increase the value of the new (puck-tiring field gnus.