652 



NATURE 



[February io, 191 6 



an impression of bewildered justice, loth to judge 

 blackfellows by European standards and yet con- 

 scious of the added jeopardy to the defenceless 

 pioneers by failure to avenge a murdered settler. 

 Miss Masson does not hide the difficulties with 

 which the Northern Territory is confronted ; she 

 notes the high and rising cost of labour and the 

 need for faith and patience. Statistics throw 

 little real light on the present progress of the 

 territory; so Miss Masson 's sketches should prove 

 a contribution of permanent value to its literature, 

 as an instructive picture of the country during 

 the most critical stage in its development. 



J. W. G. 



OPTICAL INSTRUMENTS AND THE 

 MINISTRY OF MUNITIONS. 



AT the end of November, 1915, there appeared 

 in the London Gazette a notice issued by 

 the Minister of Munitions under which power was 

 taken to commandeer all optical instruments of 

 importance for the defence of the realm. Since 

 that date the Ministry of Munitions has been 

 examining the available supply of such optical 

 instruments, both in manufacturers' and dealers' 

 hands. The examination, which has been a very 

 heavy piece of work, had for its purpose the 

 enforcing of certain restrictions placed upon the 

 sale of such instruments under the Defence of 

 the Realm Act Regulations, 1914, and it was re- 

 cently announced that traders can only offer 

 such instruments for sale if and when they are 

 specially marked. The announcement appears in 

 the January Army Order, in which it is stated that 

 "two marks will be used, one indicating instru- 

 ments which do not come up to the standard 

 Government requirements, and the other instru- 

 ments which come up to the required standard 

 but are not required by the Government.'' 



The instruments scheduled in the Order in 

 Council are prismatic and Galilean binoculars, 

 portable terrestrial telescopes, telescopic sights 

 for rifles, periscopes and hyposcopes, prismatic 

 compasses, as well as range-finders, mekometers, 

 telemeters, clinometers, angle of sight instru- 

 ments, apparatus for control of fire, dial sights, 

 directors, and field plotters. 



It will be noticed that the announcement does 

 not specify for the information of general readers 

 the actual marks which are being used ; and, 

 therefore, it will probably be of interest to de- 

 scribe them here. The first of the marks re- 

 ferred to is the broad arrow with the left-hand 

 barb omitted, thus: h. This mark is engraved 

 or otherwise marked on instruments which have 

 been examined under the instructions of the 

 Ministry of Munitions and come within the terms 

 and schedules of the Order in Council referred 

 to above, but do not fulfil all the conditions speci- 

 fied by the Government as necessary for naval or 

 military service. The instrument is not neces- 

 sarily defective, but the mark means that in some 

 optical or mechanical detail or details it is con- 

 sidered unsuitable for naval or military use. It 



NO. 2415, VOL. 96] 



would, therefore, be well for an intending pur- 

 chaser to examine carefully an instrument bearing 

 the mark. 



The second mark which may be found upon 

 such instruments is the broad arrow with the 

 stem- omitted, thus : /X- This has been 

 engraved or marked upon instruments which 

 satisfy the Government's specification as instru- 

 ments suitable for naval and military use, but not 

 at present required by Government, and which 

 therefore, presumably, may be disposed of by 

 traders. Such instruments have satisfactorily 

 passed the Government tests. 



Instruments which do not come within the 

 terms of the Order have not been marked, such 

 instruments not being of the types required in 

 quantity by the military authorities. 



Although measures have been taken to secure 

 for the purposes of the State all suitable optical 

 instruments in the hands of makers and dealers, 

 many more seem to be required, judging from the 

 following announcement made a few days ago : — 



The Ministry of Munitions and the management of 

 the Lady Roberts's Field-Glass Fund desire to give 

 publicity to the fact that there is still a great demand 

 for the supply of field-glasses and telescopes for the 

 troops in the field. Both prismatic and ordinary field- 

 glasses are required, but not opera-glasses. The 

 owners of such instruments are urgently requested to 

 place them at the disposal of the fund, either by way 

 of loan or sale. It is hoped that owners who are 

 unable to lend their instruments will, in any case, be 

 willing to sell them to the Government at a valuation 

 figure. With this object in view, the Ministry of 

 Munitions hcs made special arrangements to value any 

 instruments offered for sale if found suitable for mili- 

 tary or naval purposes, and payment will' be made by 

 the Ministry in accordance with the valuation figure. 

 Instruments unsuitable for military or naval purposes 

 will be returned to the senders. All instruments sent in, 

 whether for loan or sale, and all letters should be 

 addressed to the secretary. Lady Roberts's Field-Glass 

 Fund, 72 Victoria Street, London, S.W. 



The necessity for Government taking such steps 

 at this critical time to supply the requirements of 

 the naval and military authorities is an ample 

 and striking justification for the demand, to which 

 reference has been made from time to time in 

 these columns, for the establishment of a National 

 Institute or School of Technical Optics, which 

 would have for its main object the placing of this 

 country in a position in the future in which it 

 would not be dependent on any foreign country 

 for an adequate supply of instruments so vital for 

 modern naval and military efficiency. Incidentally, 

 such an institute would also secure national inde- 

 pendence in the sunnly of the still more numerous 

 and highly specialised optical instruments so 

 essential in the arts of peace. 



The importance of the subject has long been 

 insisted upon by the British Science Guild, and 

 the Technical Optics Committee of the guild has 

 prepared several valuable reports upon it. This 

 committee, after a full investigation of the evi- 

 dence available, shortly after the outbreak of hos- 

 tilities forwarded to the Board of Trade a report. 



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