Evening capital and Maryland gazette., 1915-10-02
NAVY BOARD WON'T
INVENT, BUT ADVISE
Says Wizard Edison--COrrects False
Notions Concerning Daniels
Expert Aids.
ACTING HEAD TO BE ADMIRAL.
Annapolis Experts whole Idea Sim
pie" Will Give Expert Advice
Whenever Navy Desires it.

war, the submarine and the aerOplane
and various munitions. so Thomas A.
Edison impressed upon a reporter for
the New York Sun yesterday with pos
tiveness. But here-Mr Edison grew
as vehement as it is possible for a gen
tie hammered gentleman to grow-re-
Gently a large part of America has
seemingly. so Mr.. Edison believes, in
vented an altogether false notion of the
Gets and operations of the new ma
val consulting board OF engineering
specialists which has been formed to
help Secretary Daniels and the Navy
Department to further offensive and
defensive Inventions
II was with the idea of dispelling
false notions about the object Of the
board of expert engineers that Mr. Edi-
son for the first time went into a gem
eral discussion OF how the board mem
bers hope TO be able to go about assist
ing the Navy Department Promptly
Mr.. Edison made it clear that neither
he nor the other board members, Of
which Mr.. Edison, in a way of speak
ing. is the dean, has anything to do
with making new inventions whatever
In a jiffy the master inventor thus
laughed away the man on the streets
idea that when the twenty-five mem-
bers of the board. as yet not officially
named, assemble at Washington on Oc-
tober next with Mr.. Edison in the
chair. they will come into the meeting
room trailing models of jitney subma-
rines and other weird contraptions
False Notion DispeIled.
Also right at the beginning of things A
false notion was dispelled from the
mind cf the visitor who had iourneyed
toward the Oranges with visions of
boarding corps of naughty office boys
and long wait in oppressive outer Of
fees before al audience could be gain
ed, perhaps in a sanctum suggestive of
Belasco settings.
The whole operation is much sim
pier. One drops off West Orange
:lolley car, enter a factory yard sur
rounded by forest of gray concrete
buildings and Oh this psrticular day
at least-lappcned upon ar alert look
ing man hustling along
Hes in there" the young man says
indicating one of the older buildings,
long and low rooted chemical labor
atory From thed orway one saw
standing far down an isle lined with
bottles and jars and glass retorts the
creator of most things worth while
from incandescent lights and seXtupleX
telegraphic transmission down the altes
to Charlie Chaplin.
His felt hat was on the back of his
head, his string tie needed re-arrang-
ing, but his brain seemed properly It'd
led up as he watched intently a chem
ical mixture in a retort
America invented the great things
of war" Mr.. Edison, getting right down
TO the subject at hand, said as he took
only one lingering look back toward
the retort and settled into chair
"Bnt our navy IS SO organized that
when inventions such as the submarine
and others of great Importance were
brought to the Departments attention
il turned then: down. Congress never
supplied it with funds for sufficient re
search work, and so it's turned dowI
everything"
We'll. not everything" corrected tho
alert looking young man encountered
in the factory yard, who proved to be
despite his youthful appearance, Millei
Reese Hutchinson, E. + .,Ph. D., chic
engineer of the Edison laboratory an,
/ personal representative of Mr.. Edison.
| TaeE nf EnnHc
Practically everything" Mr. Edisol
| insisted stoutly. There's the subma
rine. Then they did next to nothing
with the aeroplane Lack of fund
| from Congress is the chief cause Now
as for any notion in the public min,
that the consulting board of negineer
ing experts had been organized TO tel
the navy it's all wrong or has been as
sembled TO turn out astonishing weap
ons of offense or defence-that's al
bosh.
The board consists at present o
tweRty-three engineering experts, no
hand picked by the Secretary of tn
Navy or any other individual. but ar
chosen by the popular vote of the vari
L
are prominent members: and their du
ties will be not to tell the navy how I
conduct its business not to foist on "a
Department cur own OF the invent
ions OF others. The board has nothin
to do with inventing as such whatso
ever. 1t is merely a consulting body [
which, if the Department wishes, an
new idea submitted to the navy fror
any source may be submitted for a.
expert opinion as TO whether the ide
has merit enough 10 warrant furthe
experimentation and research.
The members Of the board are not L
organize to suggest such ideas TO III
Department: as exeprts they expec
merely To say yes or no regardin;
the worth of ideas submitted by others
If, as an individual, any member shoul,
happen TO have an idea Of his own t,
suggest. such invention would have t,
be submitted 10 theDepartment through
the regular channels just as any mai