George Julius
JULIUS, Sir George, BSc (1873-1946)
For a man best known for his invention of the racecourse automatic totalizator, George Julius in fact achieved remarkable success across a range of engineering sectors. Son of a mechanically minded father and later son in law of famed West Australian engineer C. Y. O'Connor. Julius was born in England, educated in both Melbourne and Christchurch, emerging from Canterbury College with a B.Sc. in mechanical engineering in 1896.
After joining the Western Australian Railways as an assistant engineer in 1896, and early in the new century publishing works on the physical characteristics and economic uses of Australian hardwoods, he moved to Sydney in 1907 to start work with a major timber company and ultimately started his own successful practice.
Although originally conceived as a vote counting machine, Julius invented the automatic totalizator, which by 1913 was installed at Auckland, New Zealand. These electromechanical machines were able to receive multiple bets, calculate and display odds on every horse in the race, as betting proceeded at many places around the course. It is claimed to be the world's first operational computer, and Julius' second machine was installed in Perth for the WA Trotting Association in 1916.
Commonwealth and State Governments soon sought his broadening expertise on a committee to inquire into electricity supplies in 1925; on a water conservation scheme for the northwest of NSW in 1937; and in regard to the infamous break of gauge in the railways in 1939. Julius widely promulgated his personal views on fiscal policy, unemployment during the Depression, industrial standardisation and professional qualifications.
Julius was president of the Engineering Association of New South Wales for three terms in 1910-1913 and of the Electrical Association of Australia in 1917-1918. A founder of the Institution of Engineers, Australia, in 1919 and president in 1925, Julius fostered the formation of the Australian Commonwealth Engineering Standards Association, inspiring Australia wide rules for electrical safety in 1926. And he played a key role, as Chairman, in CSIR and subsequently CSIRO, from its inception in 1926 until his retirement in 1945, focusing on the country's primary production threats as yet another example of the varied disciplines in which he excelled.
With "his rather gaunt face, his crop of curly brown hair, and his very luminous blue eyes", Julius was slight in build and spoke in a staccato manner. Considered autocratic, at times impatient, but politically savvy, he was also known for a sense of fair play, quick sense of humour, and objectivity in scientific judgement.
Knighted in 1929, Julius continued to influence a broad range of interests for the remainder of his life, including the establishment of the National Standards Laboratory in the 1930s. Even during World War II, he served on the Central Inventions Board, the Australian Council for Aeronautics (as chairman) and the Army Inventions Directorate.
Engineers Australia's Mechanical College Board annually awards the "George Julius Medal" to distinguished Australian engineers working in the field of mechanical engineering.
References:
Extract from Anything is possible – 100 Australian engineering leaders, p.54.
Also see: Australian Dictionary of Biography
