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Taranaki Daily News, 2 June 1921, Page 3

“Although it is ’perfectly true,” says a Bulletin paragraph, "about the failure of the £1*2,000 mail-carrying device between the Sydney G.P.O. and the Exchange, the Post Office lias at times made some profitable investments. For instance, about 12 years ago a machine was installed which it was claimed would cut out the hand-stamping of letters, etc. The machine cost £l4O. was a winner from the jump, stamped over 1300 letters per minute, and thus paid for itself in seven weeks, and shows a net profit of over £12,000 to da<e. It was invented by a Sect named Burns, who at one time was employed at Mort's Dock as engineer. He firs; formed a syndicate to place the invention upon the market, but the venture was not a success. Then he took the matter in hand personally and worked to such good purpose (hat his machine is now universally adopted. He is still turning them out at Petone (M.L.). Burns’ son Bobby also has an inventive streak, for while on active service with an English regiment during the recent disturbance he patented and passed over to the nation no less than 47 inventions, among them the Burns bomb and the eye-angle gun. The lad—he was only about 24—was offered a seat on rhe Inventions Board, and later rose to a big job in the air service.