The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1915-07-13

from time to time on matters of suf-
ficient Importance to bring to his at
tentiOn. You are recognized by all OF
us as the one man above all others
who can turn dreams into realities
and who has at his command, In ed-
dition to his own wonderful mind, the
| finest facilities in the world for such
work.
An Appeal to Edison
What I want to ask is if you
| would be willing, as secrifice to
your own country, to act as adviser
to this board, to take such things as
seem to you to be of value, but which
We are not, at present, equipped to
investigate, and to use your own mag
nfficent facilities in such inveStiga-
ton, if you feel it worth your while,
For our part, we will endeaVor
not to bother you with trivial mat
tiers, as we probably will have suffi-
cient facilities to handle such small
matters as they come up This IS a
great deal to ask and 1, unfortunately,
have nothing but the thanks OF the
navy, and, we think, of the country
at large, together with the feeling of
service to your country that you Will
have, to offer you by way of recon-
pense; yet, clearly have you
shown your patriotism and your un-
selfish loyalty to your country's in
terests that 1 feel justified in making
this request"
Edison Gladly Accepts.
In announcing that he would glad
ly accept Secretary Daniels invita-
ton, Mr.. Edison said he believed the
proposal so important that it should
be attended to now, at a time when
the war in Europe was bringing be-
fore the public the Importance of en-
coura ging and developing ideas and
inventions of ecially
of officers and men of the army and
navy.
The United States is far behind in
these Matters said Mr.. Edison. II
believe it is highly important for
board of civilians, made up of en-
gineers from leading industries. to be
formed for the purpose Of looking
into the feasibility of ideas developed
by young men. While all ideas that
will be submitted may not be feasible,
at least they will have the benefit of
expert judgment and advice.
TT is an important matter and
should be put under way at once.
The European war has served to draw
attention to the fact that many Amer
lean ideas and inventions have been
allowed to slip by, and if this matter is
put off until the war is over there
is danger of it's being forgotten"
NJ. r. S. Hutchinson, personal repre-
sentative of Thomas A. Edison, called
on Secretary Daniels today and in
formed him of Mr.. EdiSon'S accept
ance of the invitation to head an adj
visory board of civilian inventors.
Secretary Daniels conferred with Rear
Griffin, Taylor and Strauss,
the naval officers who handle the
problems of ordnance, construction,
engineering and electricity, as to the
best way to get the benefit of the ad-
vice of citizen inventors.
What we want to do in his mat
ter said the secretary, sis to appeal
to the American inventive genius to
work for the navy and to study what
we ought to do. Already since this
war began, much has been done with
our own resources. What has been
done IN the last three months has not
yet appeared, and work that is going
on under supervision of orr own eN-
perts and engineers will continue. But
the idea of the advisory board will
be to extend into the realms of the
unknown in naval construction and
want the advice of genius as to new
lines.
For the first time in twenty years
we have had an opportunity to test
the kind of ships and ammunition that
we have in actual naval warfare. Al
ready we are putting guns on subma
rines, and Admiral Taylor is at work
submarines believe there will be as
much revolution in naval construction
in the future as there has been since
the monitor. The proposed board is
one of those things that must grow
and work out its own development"
Secretary Daniels suggested as one
of the possibilities the establishment
in Washington of a large naval test
ing laboratory, and said congress
would be asked for a large appropria-
ton for investigation and expert