The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-10-05
EDISON TALKS on
INVENTORS BOARD
II Is Not Organized For Purpose of
Creating New War Con-
traptions.
IT MERELY PASSES ON IDEAS
VIII Aid Government In Wedding
Impractical Proposals Out Of Those
Submitted 1t by Aspiring Geniuses.
Dispeis False Notions.

New York, Oct America in
vented the new things OF war, the
submarine and the aeroplane and va
rious munitions. so Thomas A. Edison
! impressed upon your correspondent
today with postiveness But--and
here Mr. Edison grew as vehement
as II is possible for gentleman to
grow-recently- large part of
America has seemingly. so Mr. Edi-
son believes, invented an altogether
false notion os the objects and opera
lions or the new naval consulting
| board Of engineering specialists which
has been formed to help Secretary
Daniels and the Navy Department to
further American offensive and de-
fensive inventions.
1t was with the idea Of dispelling
false notions about the object OF the
board of expert engineers that Mr.
Edison for the first time went into
general discussion today of how
the board members hope to be able
TO go about assisting the Navy De-
partment. Promptly Mr.. Edison
made II clear that neither he nor
the other board members. of which
MIR. Edison In a way of speaking Is
the dean, has nothing to do with
making new inventions whatsoever.
No New Contraptions.
In a fifty the master inventor thus
laughed away the man on the streets
Idea that when the twenty-three
meAabers Of the board as yet not
officially named. assemble at Wash
ington on October 6, next. with Mr..
Edison in the chair, they will come
into the meeting room trailing models
OF jitney submarines and other weird
contraptions t0at will instantly make
all Europe yell for help.
Also right at the beginning OF
things today |. false notion was dis
PEELED from the mind OF the visitor
who had journeyed toward the Or
anzes with visions Of boarding corps
Of naughty office boys and "A long
wait in an impressive outer office
before an audience could be gained.
in sanCtum suggestive of Belasco
settings
The whole peration is much sim
pier, One drops off West Orange
trolley car, enters a factory yard
surrounded by forest of gray con-
crete buildings, and-today at least
happens upon an alert looking
young man hustling along,
Hes In there" the voung man
says, indicating one of the older of
the buildings. long and low rooted
"A chemical laboratory
From the doorway one saw stand
Ing far down an aisle lined with
bottles and Jars and glass retorts the
creator of most things worth while
from incandescent lights ana sextu-
pie telesraphic transmission down the
ages to Charlie Chaplin. His felt
hat was on the back of his head,
his string tie needed rearranging. but
his brain seemed properly tidied up
as he watched intentIy a chemical In
the retort
Invented s.reat War Machine.
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 but our navy IS so organized
that when inventions such as the sub
marine and others Of great Importance
were brought to the departments they
turned them down. Congress never
supplied II with funds for sufficient
research work. and so it's turned down
Everything =.
Well, not everything" corrected
the alert looking young man encoun-
tered in the factory yard, who proved
ito be. despite his youthful appearance.
Miller Reese Hutchinson, E F., Phi D..
chief engineer of the Edison labora--
tory and personal representative Of
MIR. Edison.
Practically everything" Mr.. Edi-
son insisted stoutly. There's the sub
marine. And they did next to moth
ing with the aeroplane, Lack Of funds
from Congress is the chief cause.
Says It's All Bosh.
Now, as for any notion in the pub
lie mind that the consulting board of
engineering experts which you want
fme to talk about has been orga nized
to tell the navy it's all wrong or has
been Assem- bled TO turn out astonishing
weapons of offense or defense. that's
all hosh.
The board consists at present OF
twenty three engineering experts, not
hand picked by the Secretary OF the
Navy or any other individual but by
the popular vote OF the various engi-
neering societies of which they are
/