National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1886-01-09
Exposition of working Models.


Exposition of Working Models.
On the first Of January, 1885, the balance
in the United States treasury to the credit
Of the patent Office amounted to So, ISL
GOES. In other words, the government
had, at that date, collected from inventors
all the money used to dcfray the expenses
Of the Office and an excess Of almost three
million dollars. The excess for the last
calendar year has not yet been officially
ascertained, but It will probably equal the
excess of the previous year, which was
something over 100000.
Three million dollars is large sum OF
money to have been collected from private
individuals in the shape Of patent fees over
and above the million dollars annually
required to run the Office. 1t represents
the bad policy Of imposing penalty on in
vention. The office should undoubtedly be
maintained by fees, but to tax inventors in
order to pile up millions In the treasury, or
to help defray the incidental expenses of
government, is neither just nor in any way
cXpedicnt.
1t would be impractlcable to gauge the
fees so that there should be just enough re-
ceipts TO cover xpenditures-neither deficit
nor surplus. II would be undesirable to
have q deficit. The true policy, therefore,
would he to use the excess in the promotion
Of the great objects for which the patent
bureau was established.
In recent issue of the NATIONAL Re.
PuBICANa plan was suggested for the
q s,. lao
ury and such rs may hereafter accrue. We
| proposed the erection Of building or
buildings, to he supplied with motive
| power and shafting, for the exhibition Of
working models Of all mechanical inven-
tions. Under patents recently granted,
electricity, to be generated by the current
| Of the Potomac, would furnish all the
| power desired. The advantages Of such a
| grand exposition would be many and great.
II would stimulate invention, correct errors,
suggest new ideas, new applications and
combinations, and bring the inventor and
capitalist-th. man Of ideas and the man Of
cash--into closer and mutually profitable
| relations.
Much loss is now occasioned by the slow
ness with which many improvements become
known and work their way into public
favor and general use. Such an exposition
| as We propose would be found extremely
profitable, in the broadcast and highest sense
! Of the word, because Il would make new in
ventons and their uses known to the people.
1t is popular theory that the use Of
laborsav machinery is responsible for
| the surplus Of labor found in our large
cities, hut this is believed TO be a delusion.
{ In his annual report for the year ending
| Dec 81, 1885, Hon. Benz. Butterworth, the
commissioner Of patents, holds; "The
utilization Of valuable inventions does not
throw laborcrs out Of employment, but re-
distributes labor, and opens up new avenues
Of employment, calls into reQulsition q
higher order Of skill, and secures an in
crease OF wages. For example, take the boot
and shoe industry, where few hundred
machines have changed the whole course
of labor The census of 1870 showed that
there was an average OF twenty-nlne per-
sons employed In every shoe factory in this
country, whereas in 1880 there were fifty
six persons so employed, The same num-
Der Of persons in 1876 made three times as
many snoes Us ~ ,oio. in tSUie ple,
pareu py col wright, cn,cl % 'ue pureau
Vi iupor' ~ ~ Is sno"u ''AV III i''o ,nviv "et'
while in 1880 there were Ill, 152. In estl
inu'sS oasou upon soo
a onn noo ~ "ssa.n' ~, ~ 20 onTm
.n"' so,JVO,'V , ny 1 ap p ,ta. tSo Io Tn
'no e"pi'ul INV S'eu, anu 'n"v 'nI 49, iSooi
s"i ss inuoni . iiIS s'on " 'uS , ta'
III io'V ai"los. uou 80 , .ne ~ D. p.,o
Al 'ne iepols VI H ~ III D"''''
"oi'n' u"o'e iei'iieu W. A' '"S'
But for the growth OF our industries duo II
inc patent system m, tnero would nave oe cen NJ
aotn ~, IN ~ n,e Or oo, 81 ,%n tn
VINO , have come a omong ne While an imnorton
Invention NAV result I'm utilizing n maehIn