New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-06-19
Our Many Inventors
lust How Hard 1t Is for Washington
To Be Polite to All of Them

To the Editor of The Tribune.
Sir: Il was a perfectly natural and UNDER
standable protest voiced by Davy Jones III
his letter last Friday against the taru'hess
and apparent inattention of those whom he
terms the "adjuncts to the Navy Department
By this phrase he means, undoubtedly, the
several committees, boards, etc, attached 10
the department and organized for the purpose
of examining the inventions and suggestions
submitted to the government. FOR man
who, like Davy Jones' is convinced tnat ne Is
Offering a valuable and timely contribution 10
the nation the processes of othclal deiioera-
ton are a positive rebuff. II seems sucn
simple and straightforward matter 70 grasp
the fundamental points of practical inven-
tion and put it TO test.
SO it would be, but for the great NUMBER
of Davy Joneses who since the outbreak OF
the war have sought to aid the country; for
among all the things for which this war is
remarkable the most splendid is the outpour-
ing of patriotic effort unselfshly rendered
the government. For those directing the
course of affairs it has proved almost an
embarrassment of riches. The government
early realized the prime Importance or utlllz-
ing this magnificent potential strength and
has developed to its utmost the machinery
for doing so. Committees, councils and
boards have been organized, and gradually
these are getting the situation in hand but
the labor is tremendous.
Consider, Davy Jones. Each day hundreds
of letters written with the same purpose as
yours are received by the Secretary of the
Navy and the bodies referred to. BY far the
larger number are pen-wrtten, by persons
with slight notions of expressing themselves
clearly, and accompanied by drawings far
from self-expanatory. How are these COM
munications to be judged and answered? The
good ideas like our own do not wriggle
themselves out from that mountain of mail
and proclaim their presence. 1t takes time
TO read each etter-and many of them so
much time to understand and they take time
to answer.
Do not think that the unavoidable ideas
can be dismissed with a stroke OF the pen,
for they cannot. Almost without exception
each has come from some one impelled by
patriotic desire to do his Bit and no board
composed of Americans would, under these
considerations, slight the most illiterate me-
chanic or the most impractical soap-box
strategist, and aside from any sentiment the
theory upon which the government acts is
TO regard each communication as the possible
bearer Of something really great and impor-
tant-as some of them are. If the Naval
Consulting Board, for instance-the body to
which all inventions should be sent knew,
Davy Jones, what your letter contained, and
that the answering of it would not involve
giving a lesson in elementary physics or cleo
tricity or chemistry, your letter would be in
the hands of one of its special committees
within twenty-four hours. Another thing,
this special committee would not be composed
of mining engineers if the idea to be passed
on were an electrical device, or automobile
engineers for chemical compound. There
are members on the board representing every
important department Of science as well as
army and navy technique
Davy Jones speaks of hardness on the part
of the Council of National Defence in an
swering his letter and then disposition to
pass the buck" to another organization. If
he were to submit manuscript of story
or article to publisher he would wait cheer
fully for two weeks, or four, or SIX some
times and the publisher has had years to
build up an organization for handing his
work, not a few months. He would wait for
the publishers decision, and if he learned
that his contribution had been referred to
competent editor, not judged by the first per-
son who opened the envelope. he would not
call that passing the buck.
| happen to be in close touch with one of
these bodies and know what hard and intelli-
gent effort is being given 20 answering each
suggestion. And | know further that these
men on the various boards are not engaged
in finding excuses for turning down or OBJ
structlng worth while ideas, but are using
every ingenuity to discover something that
can be perfected and applied to the urgent
needs of our national emergency.
c. wv.
New York, June &c. 1917.