"THE END OF WAR."

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18690, 22 April 1924, Page 7

"THE END OF WAR."

LIFE - DESTROYING RAY. PUZZLED SCIENTISTS. liONDON. April 9. The Paris newspapers display a lively interest in messages from London describing experiments made by Mr. Grindell Matthews with the " thermic .rays." which he has invented. Mr. Matthews, , a war-time inventor, claims that his ray can destroy life at a distance, explode munition depots and put the magnetos of aeroplanes and motor-cars out of action. Le Gaulois reports that Professor Cosinus welcomes the invention as likely to destroy war itself. "It will mean that fighting will be abolished, for all the combatants will destroy each other," said the professor. "It is the end of war, because when people realise this they will give up the idea of quarrelling." Le Gaulcis, however, is sceptical, and suggests that science will find a reply to the " thermic ray," just as masks were invented to counteract the effects of poi°LeMatin asked a number of famous Le Matin asked a number of famous scientists their opinion upon the invention, and they replied that to render magneto!; in motor-cars and aeroplanes inoperative did not appear impossible but that the possibility of destroying life at a distance pointed to a discovery the nature of which they could not guess.