Daily globe., 1883-07-10
Especial Telegram to the Globe. ]

| WASHINGTON, July 9.-Business in the
patent Office continues to increase in
volume, md there are already complaints
of the reduction of the force, which took
place the 1st inst. For the first half of
the current year the number of applica-
tlons for patents was about $500 greater
than the corresponding period of 1882, and
the receipts of the Office were more than
100000 in excess of those for the first six
months of last year. Not only is the patent
office embarrassed by the reduction of the
force, but by the frequent resigna tion of
examiners and other officers. Within the
last six months one assistant commissioner
of patents aud eight examiners and
assistant examiners have resigned !.
besides six or eight clerks and copyists.
On the average there is complete change
in the force of examiners once in five wears.
The most frequent changes are in the cleo
trical division, where the entire force of
examiners changes about twice every three
years. Very few men feel that they can
afford to remain in the patent Office more
than four or five years on account OF the
opportunities offered them outside. One
of the complaints made on account of the
reduction of the force is that the goy-
ernment is in equity bound to offer
inventors every possible facility for a
speedy adjustment of their claims, because
1t receives from them annually great deal
more money than it pays out for the sup
port of the patent Office service. 1t is re-
marked too, that most of the opposition to
sufficient appropriations for the support
of the Office comes from senators and rep
resentatives of states where the number of
inventions produced is very small. An
analysis of the patents granted to inventors
for any stated period will show that, ex.
Guiding Missouri, the states south of Ma
son d Dixon's line, produce only about 8
or 10 per cent. of the number of patents
granted. The votes of senators and
| representatives from those states can
always be counted upon to cut down ap
preparations for the support of the patent
Office. A prominent patent attorney of
Washington, who has been in business for
many years, said recently that he made up
statement showing the length of time
that each commissioner of patents re-
mained in Office since 1859, and found
that the average term of service was
only thirteen and half months for each
one.
| Western Associated Press.
| WASHINGTON, July 9.-The attorney gen
eral has given the opinion to the secretary
of the treasury that it was not the inten-
tion of the act to prevent the importation
of adulterated and spurious teas to create
a new Office to meet the requirement; that
all teas entered for importation shall be
examined before passing from control OF
customs. He says one section of the act
refers it to appraisers and revenue officers
as already provided by law.
THE HILL INQUIRY.
Coleman, in opening the proceedings in
the Hill investigation, presented a mum
Der of Bartlett, Robbins & Co. contracts
AS he offered the first contracts he explain
ed that the prosecution did not claim thai
the contracts were not all right. They did
wish TO show that they had been awarded
| without advertisement and some
!, of them without competition
that Bartlett, Robbins & Co
got nearly all of them and had been cor
ruptly and unlawfully favored in tine
award of contracts for heating apparatu:
for the public buildings of the United
, States. Totten asked if counsel proposed
to follow up this evidence by evidence tha
Hill had been bribed. 1t made no differ
, ence otherwise how many contracts Bart
lett, Robbins & Co. received. If they helG
| all of them, 1t only tended to show that they
we're good men and did their work
honestly. Coleman was astonished that a
good lawyer should expect him to show
that money had actually been passsd be
, tween the contractors and Hill. If hG
could so present facts as to lead to the in
ference that money must have passed
} he would have accomplished more
t than he expected in this investiga
/ ton. Totten objected because the pro
. posed evidence would make out charge
| Coleman called upon the gentleman to say
) whom he represented. Totten: 81 appea
/ for everybody defending against thu
assault yoH are conducting" Cole
man insisted upon an answer
and Totten said he represented
Bartlett, Robbins & Co., Mr.. HUI and tn,
Dix Island Granite company. He had rep
resented the last named company many
years, Coleman-Thati is all l want to know
How many of these contractors are inter
ested in Hills defense to the extent O.
providing counsel for him? The prosecu
? ton then put in evidence showing tina
} Bartlett, Robbins & Co., or Bartlett, Hay
, ward & Co., received nineteen contracts fol
heating apparatus for public building;
from 1876 to 1883 at an aggregate cost o.
3 $417,111, upon which there was extra worl
| amounting to $1O9,S48. Contracts were
also put in evidence to show that during
the same period the total cost of all con.
tracts awarded other firms supplying
heating apparatus was $4,000, uper
which extra work amounted to $4,000
| Coleman then offered in evidence propo
sails upon which contract were awarded fol
Supplying heating apparatus for the bu
reau of engraving and printing in this city
Bartlett, Robbins & Co. bid $31, ,44s, while
Barber & Co. bid $3O,552, the contract
being awarded Bartlett, Robbins &lCo.
number of similar instances were instanceG
Here is a curiosity, said Coleman. 1t
shows how the secretary of the treasury
! has been coming to the relief of the de-
fense. He then read from the back of a
letter from Mr.. Hill to Secretary Folger
dated after the fling of the charges in this
l