New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1855-07-18
NEW-YORK DAILY TRIBUNE, WEDNESDAY. JULY Is, 1852

80 $50. Deducting this sum from tue patent
fund az il existed on January /, 1855, S2o,o95
were left in the Treasury. Taking into consider
alton that the additional compensation which
Congress voted TO the employees of this ONCE
absorbed s., $50; further, that very large num-
her of the models of former years, which were
really in pitisble condition, were thoroughly
r, haired. and all the models arranged IN the new
Model Hall: and finally, that the force OF the
office was considerably augmented in order to
DISPOSE Of the accumulated arrearsges of former
wears, the pecunisry administration OF the late
Commissioner must be called very economical
one.
The LIST of January, 1854, found 523 applica-
tons on hand not yet acted upon, the fourth
part of all the applicatiOns-3, Settled during
1854. As all these cases including said arrear-
ages, being above 1000 cases, were disposed of
during 1854 the fees OF the arrearages amounting
70 more than $50, 900 received in 1858 must be
added 10 the receipts of 1854 to arrive at proper
view of the expenditures of the office in relation
70 the amount of work performed during the
YEAR. Thus the whole expenses connected Win
the disposal of 1000 cases have been about
sI7. coo below the amount Of fees received for
them. By comparing for fourteen years back
the number of caveats and patents issued, with
the total expenditures for the corresponding
years we arrive at the expense incurred for each
single cayeat or patent issued from the ONCE
during the successive years, which after all Is
the tangible ard directly useful result of the e1-
istence Of the Patent Office. We subjoin
table showing the expense of each cayeat or
patent issued in the years from 1871 to 1914, IN
elusive:
1874 ~ 'p "a rs '4s ~. 49, 80. 80 81 52, 80 80
$50 $50 s6o so s7s 81 ia $50 81 $50 800 $50 $ls7 sas
OF course these numbers are only rough APP
proximarions to the real expenses incurred for
the purpose, as the calculation is based on the
gross annual expenditures of the office, which,
especially in 1853, include disbursements for
various purposes, not at all belonging to the
business proper of the Office. 1t can be seen,
however, that Commissioner Mason. who came
Tito power in May, 1853, has succeeded in the
year which belongs exclusively to his admnis-
traton, in reducing the relative expense for the
practical results of the labors performed IN this
department below what its average standard has
been for the years l64S to 1854. And at the same
time he has succeeded in animating the whole
department with an activity and business-like
spirit which has elevated languishing concern,
cursed by many an inventor, whose purse and
patience were not of indefinite length, to prob
ably the most efficient branch of the Federal
Government. The United States Patent Office
is at present an establishment. of which the
country may well be proud, even on comparing
it with any of the foreign institutions of the
kind, which have had the advantage of the ex-
perience of centuries over the young upstart
this side of the Atlantic.
In regard to highly desirable alteration in
the patent-laws of Canada which at present do
not permit our citizens to obtain patents there
and allow all our inventions to be introduced and
used there without any license from our invent
oIs, the. closing sentences of the late Commits
sioner's Report are as follows:
at may be thought that we shall best attain our
object by retaliatory measures. Such course would
be calculated to arouse angry and hostile feelings
rather than to lead to any final Advantage to either
party course dictated by kindness and hberali,y
will coon dissolve the barriers which make nations
strangers and enemies. We can well afford to lead the
way in a course Of measures which will contribute no
mccusiderGble share toward rendering US and our
Canadian neighhon practically one people,
These few sentences, put forth in connection
with the proposition TO reduce the enormous
pater fees at present required from aliens to a
common standard with the fees paid by citizens,
as well as the utter disregard exhibited during
HE administration to the politics of the employees
of the office, are greatly creditable to the late
Commissioner.