On Wednesday The STAR carried a story on Harlo Mayne and his hydrogen generator, a gas-saving device which he is introducing to the Jamaican public.

Mayne gave an extensive description of how his invention - which he spent two years refining and already uses - works in cutting fuel costs by up to 20 per cent. The fact that he uses it himself strengthens his case immensely; and, at $20,000 each for his hydrogen generator, Mayne will need all the testimonials he can drum up.

We hope, of course, that Harlo Mayne's device is commercially successful and he gets his just rewards for hard work and ingenuity. However, whatever the fate of the device, it is already very successful in highlighting the ingenuity of those who could be termed 'ordinary Jamaicans'.

From time to time The STAR carries stories about inventions, some more practical than others, by Jamaicans who may not have gone through extensive academic training but who, through natural instincts, self-instruction, experiments and observation, have come up with something spectacular. One notable example was a home-made helicopter.

It makes one wonder just what could be achieved if there was a support system for young inventors, with even the most basic funding and access to a machine shop. Of course, the expenditure would be significant, but the potential returns are incalculable.

Take, for instance, if Mayne's product takes off and saves even one-tenth of the nation's motorists (installing it on government vehicles would be an excellent start) 20 per cent of their fuel expenditure. That, we are sure, would pay back an investment in his talent many times over.

And that would not even include foreign exchange earnings as the device is exported.

We need to invest in and reward Jamaican ingenuity if we are to have any chance of progressing economically.