SECRET INVENTION

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 271, 11 July 1932, Page 2

SECRET INVENTION

ADELAIDE CHEMIST ARRESTED c FOR" ABSGONDING WITH SHARE MONEY. ADELAIDE, June 26. The story of a remarkable invention which, it was claimed, would hold up troops on a half-mile front without causirig loss of • Iife, was related in the Adelaide Police Court, when Percival Henry Edward Runge, chemist, of Adelaide, was charged on three counts. of fraudulent conversion. Runge was charged with having obtained various sums of money by falsely pretending that he believed that a certain invention had been sold in England on behalf of the BritishAustral Sydnicate (No Liability) by a man named Langsford for not less than £1,000,000, and that, having been entrusted with money for the purpose of paying it to the British-Austral Syndicate, he had converted it to his own use and stolen it. Mr. W. K. Gillespie, of the Crown Law Department, who prosecuted, said that Runge was managing di'rector and chairman of directors of Bri-tish-Austral Syndicate (No Liability), which was floated on December 10, 1927. The company was formed to exploit a secret invention of a man named Langsford. The only evidence of the .latare of the invention were statements alleged to have been made by Runge to people to whom he had sold shares. Those people would say that Runge had said that Langsford had approached Sir Tom Bridges, then Governor of South Australia, who had advised him to see Major:General Coxen, then chief of the general staff. Langsford had shown the machine to Major-General Coxen, who was so impressed that he offered to send Langsford to England under military auspices, and to pay him £20 a week, so that he could submit the invention to the British War Office. "According to Runge's story," continued Mr. Gillespie, "Sir Tom Bridges told Langsford that he should go to England privately to sell the invention. Langsford left for England before share-selling began, and so far as is known, has not returned. Langsford did not even take the plans to England with him. Runge said they were lodged in the National Baiik, Adelaide. The articles of association of the company constituted a remarkable document, he added. They provided that Runge, as a shareholder, should have one more vote than all the other shareholders, irrespective of the number of shares held by him. He thus had absolute control of the company. The articles also provided that Runge should not retire from the directorship at certain intervals as was usual. The company had no bank account, but Runge had five, into all of which cheques received for shares sold had been paid.