New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-06-20
Impatient Inventors

A few days ago The Tribune received
and published a warm protest against the
apparent indifference of the Navy Depart
ment to the efforts of patriotic inventors to
overcome the menace of the submarine.
The writer said that he had "had more
actual sea experience than some naval
officers" and had seen more actual fight
ing than others; moreover, he had made
nearly fifty inventions"
He made three inventions and satisfied
himself that with two of these-both very
simple"-it would be possible to drive
the enemy submarines from the sea-" He
laid them before the proper authority, but
as nothing happened after he had waited
for "a reasonable time" he impaired his
secret to Representative of an allied gov
ernment and was assured that the matter
would be brought to the attention of those
who dispose of such things in the country
concerned. After this had happened he
learned from Washington that his sugges
tons had been duly transmitted to GER
tain body, and that if he would give full
particulars" to that body "a full nvestiga-
ton would be confdentially made"
His conclusion is that he was very badly
treated, and now, he says, having "com-
pleted a third invention along the same
general lines, as simple, as practicable and
having as much potential value as the
Others" he will not send it to Washington
but offer it first to a foreign government.
1t is to be hoped that he will have good
luck, but, alas, complaints Of similar
order are by no means uncommon in other
countries. Inventors everywhere complain
of the delays of governments, and the hope
less inability of the official sort to recognize
the superlative merits of their devices is
cause of constant grumbling. Only
month ago there was a question in the
British House of Commons whether 'in
view of the disfavor with which the Adj
miralty Invention Board was regarded by
inventors in every part of the country 1t
would be possible to appoint fresh COM
mittee whose whole duty would be to con-
slider the merits of anti-submarine devices.
The answer was not encouraging.
The truth is that the number of in
ventors is probably much greater than our
correspondent suspects. 1t is doubtless 10
be regretted that he had to wait fort
night for an answer from the committee
to whom his device was offered, but we
have no way of telling how many sugges-
tons the committee had to consider at the
same time. Judging by the great number
offered to The Tribune-which never un-
dertakes TO publish such things, for the
obvious reason that if they have any merit
they ought not to be published, and if they
have not they need not be--the variety of
inventions received at Washington must
be enormous.
1t may be recalled that very soon after
Sir John Jellicoe was appointed First Sea
Lord of the British Admiralty he wa,
obliged to publish request that inventors
would not trouble him with their thoughts,
for his private mail was swamped with
hundreds of suggestions, every one of them
an infallibe cure for submarines. II is not
difficult to guess the nature Of the major
ity, or to understand how much time is
wasted in rejecting absolutely useless and
fantastic schemes or schemes which are al
ready quite familiar and obvious.
1t is not implied that the complaint re-
ceved by The Tribune was not justified.
1t is possible that in this case the inventor
had hit on perfect anti-submarine device
and that it ought TO have been turned to
account without delay. Nor is it TO be