New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-11-14
mo Time for Novelties
An Answer to Hasty Fault-Finding by
Disappointed Inventors
~ ,ha Fdi.or of nc Tribune.

To the Editor Of The Tribune.
Sir. In The Tribune Of November 10 ap-
pears q letter under the caption, mo lime
for Novelties" This letter is typical OF much
criticism of the government, and may tend 70
provoke in the unthinking an unjusthed dis
satisfaction with the very effective work
which the Aircraft Production Board and
other governmental agencies are doing. As
these agencies are too busy TO give attention
10 such pinpricks it is up to those on the
outside who appreciate the facts to set the
critics right.
The writer Of the letter in question, who
prefers 20 withhold his name, complains at
the outset that the design of the Liberty
motor WAS restricted 20 features Of construc-
ton which have been tried out. | wonder IL
tie writer has read any of the published IN
formation as TO the purpose OF the Liberty
motor and the history of its production. II
he has. he must know that the one idea in
view was to produce in the shortest possible
time an engine which would compare favora-
tly with those already in use, and which
could be manufactured Immediately in great
quantities. TO ct out the fleet of airplsnes
which we hope 10 have over the German lines
next spring
/ If Patriot and Inventor" had had any c5-
perience in manufacturing such structures as
gasolene engines, he would know that the in
PRODUCTION of any noyel and untried feature
in the design would be almost certain to block
The development OF the motor for an indefinite
end probably serious length Of time, and
that, even so, the chances would be that IN
the end the new feature would have TO be
I Co.
called. but few are chosen.'e Indeed, any
other rule than that announced by Secretary
Baker would have been grotesquely misguided
and would have brought JOY to the hearts OF
the intensely practical Germans.
The very name of the board to which the
writer first applied is a justification OF its
refusal TO entertain a proposition to expert
ment with novelty; il is production board.
not development or experiment board, and
experiment, as any manufacturer knows, is
mortal enemy of production.
In an endeavor TO show superior recep-
tiveness 70 new ideas on the part OF other
governments the writer cites number OF de-
vices, most Of which at least unfortu-
nately chosen for his purpose. Poison gases,
10 which he refers, are device of unknown
antiquity. exemplifed previously in the stink
pots" of the Chinese. Flame throwers, though
novel in form, are but revival OF the Greek
fire of antiquity. II these things have now
the appearance OF novelty, it is only because
they had so long been abandoned by civilized
nations as indecently brutal that they had
been forgotten, and there is no reason to as
sumo that thew have not been the subject OF
long experiment and peace-time preparation
BIZ the Germans.
The Zeppelin has been the result OF cost
" experiment for many years preceding the
present war These experiments we're not
undertaken by the German government until
the inventor had expended a large private
fortune and the proceeds of a large public
subscription in the endeavor to make COM
mercial success OF the airship.
The airplane. again, is the result OF many
wears of experiment, and the Wright broth
ers produced the first practically controla-
BILE machine more than six years before the
beginning of the war
The smoke screen was used by Charles All
of Sweden in his campaigns against the Rus
SLAMS. In its modern form, rs employed By
destroyers. it was devised long before the
present war and is said 70 be an American
invention. The submarine dates at least
from the time of the Napoleonic wars. and
TO substantial change in it's construction is
known 10 have been produced by its chief
protagonists, the Germans, during the
course of the present war.
AS America has turned her attention TO
war only at the last minute and must now
arm herself in haste, "our boys VIII have
20 be provided with the best that can be
produced under pressure Of time, and Amer
lean ingenuity" so long asleep, can only
hone to be more forehanded next time.
FARNUM F. DORSEY.
Rochester, " Y, Nov II, 1917.