INQUIRY INTO EXPLOSIVE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 16502, 30 March 1917, Page 5

INQUIRY INTO EXPLOSIVE.

PAET OWNER'S ADMISSION. HAD BEEN GROSSLY MISLED A. and N.Z. Cable. LONDON. March 28. I When the inquiry concerning the explosive halakite was resumed today Sir Theodore Cook, editor of the Field, stated that, in view of the AttorneyGeneral's disclosures and the evidence of Lord Moulton, Director-General of Explosive Supplies in the Ministry of Munitions, he would withdraw. Ho had been grossly misled regarding the properties of halakite. Sir Theodore Cook has been championing halakit-e, and in a letter to the press recently stated that "the"question centres on a newly-discovered material which, in one form, is a powerful high explosive, and in another is a propellant which has been tested by at least one of our allies and proved to be of the highest practical value. It was invented by a neutral. As soon as I was aware of the circumstances I determined to save the powder for this country and our allies, and after informing the Prime Minister of the facts early in June, 1916, I bought the neutral out and formed, a new syndicate, which owned the whole rights and patents. Of this syndicate I became chairman. Some time before this Lord Moulton' had not only refused the material on behalf of the British Government, but had refused to safeguard the patent specification, which was only protected from the knowledge of our enemies by the intervention of the Admiralty expert. Lord Moulton also asserted at a later date that the material successfully tested by one of our allies was not the material he had rejected and was not covered by the patent to which I have referred." At the present inquiry Lord Moulton said that after the analysis had disclosed the presence of 22 per cent, of nitroglycerine he considered a deliberate imposture was being practised. The Attorney-General stated that there was no imputation against Sir Theodore Cook.