DISCOVERING HUN SECRETS

Taihape Daily Times, Issue 160, 12 August 1916, Page 3

DISCOVERING HUN SECRETS

Dr. Addison, Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry of Munitions, speaking at Sheffield, said the Government had experienced great difficutly in getting special kinds of optical and

other glass which the Germans had largely monopolised. Some scientists had found the missing formulas at quite trivial expense, and the Ministry had made arrangements which were not only re-establishing this industry in the country, but would make it secure for some considerable time to come. Our production of optical glass was now more than 14 times what it was before the war. The little bead of glass to which the filament was fixed to various kinds of lamps was a difficulty. It was only a bead of glass, but it happened that its formula was in German hands. Ho was glad to say that it was soon found. Again, they knew how the safety of hundreds of workers depended upon the resisting power of their lamps glasses. The formula for this material was in German hands, but it was found here after six weeks' research at one of their institutes. In a similar way they were hard put to it for a time in the provision of hard fusible glass. After three months' laboratory research a formula was found, and it was nowgiving them a glass which was superior to the German product.