The Milvertanks

Horowhenua Chronicle, 11 January 1917, Page 3

The Milvertanks

♦ The F'eilding Sar says:—We have it on good authority (not the principal himself, liowevor) that Mr Milverton, one of the best known of Palmarstonians, made the suggestion of the use of the "tanks" to both the New Zealand and the British War Loa.rds. | Those wlio know Mr Milverton, know ! that his hobby, as well as his voc.a- ---! tion, is tlie use of the traction engine. Just after the war began, while driving his cumbersome implement about tho countoy, it occurred to him that hei e was "the makings" of a great weapon of war. lie wrote to our Minister of Defence, suggesting the tank idea. Mr Allen consulted his so-called military experts, who laughed the idea out of Court. It was impracticable! And that, wo understand was the gist of the Minister's reply to the Milverton Idea. Of course it looked ridiculous to our socalled experts. They had neither tho expartnesis, the originality, nor the experience—nor the imagination to foresee the "tank." Then Mr Milverton wrote direct to Mr Lloyd George, suggesting that it seemed to him that an armed traction engine would mahe a. new and terrible implement of war to use on the western front against Germany.. The great little Welshman briefly acknowledged the receipt of the letter—and that is the end of the correspondence so far as we have heard. But whether it be snore coincidence or something more practical (involving, in the latter sense, a case of benefits forgot), the ''tank" has been used, and it is only a glorified, an armoured traction engine.