Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-05-07
PRINTING THE PATENTS
An Alleged Effort to Take Work From
Government Printers.
The Typographical Union Aroused
Details of the Proposals and
Existing Law.

There will be a full meeting of Columbia
Typographical Union tonight. The bust
ness before the meeting is the apparent
intention of the commissioner of patents
tofet a. contract, as the members Of the
| union declare, in violation Of law. The
contract. as described in the advertisement
which has appeared for several days in the
newspapers, includes proposals for pro-
ducing the Official Gazette. including week
ly. monthly, quarterly and annual indexes
of patents and trademarks, by the litho-
graphic, photolithographic, or any other
process, for the fiscal year beginning July
/, 1895, "a / ending June 30, 1896"
The advertisement also states that "All
bids accepted and contracts awarded will
be subject to the appropriation of $40, $50,
for the Official Gazette and indexes, and
SCI, l29 for the remainder Of the work"
The Law as 1t Stands.
The law as it passed and was approved
stands as follows: For producing the Of
flcia1 Gazette, including weekly, monthly,
| quarterly and annual indexes therefor, ex-
elusive Of expired patents, sS9.655
For producing copies of drawings of the
weekly issues of patents, ETC.. said work
referred to in this and the preceding par
agraph to be done as provided by the
birding and for the distribution OF public
Documents provided. that the entire work
may be done at the government printing
office, it, in the judgment Of the joint COM
mittee on printing. 1t shall be deemed to be
for the best interests of the government"
How Patents Are Printed.
When the commissioners amendment was
before Congress the Typographical Union
opposed 1t vigorously and successfully.
Their committee claimed that there was a
saving to the government of from 23 to 80
hv hau m ha
government printing office. The printing
of patents involves two classes of printing
the picture of the patent device, which is
done by the Norris Peters Photolithograph-
Of the inventors claims. The latter is
usually two or three pages of reading
matter-not printed from type, as might be
supposed. although it is set up in type.
The process is to set this text of the in
Ventors claims in a large size of type
called English" and take proofs of it.
These are sent to the patent Office, where
they are pasted upon cardboards, with the
| line drawings of the device In forms that
are called dummies" and these latter are
sent to the photolithographing company,
who reproduce picture, type and all by
| graphing stones the quantity called for.
1t Is the type setting done in this process
that is the bone of contention before to-
| nights meeting of the Typographical
Union. The commissioners advertisement
for bids. the printers think, means an at
tempt on the part Of the commissioner to
| take this work away from the government
printing office. and the printers insist that
such proceeding would be in violation of
law.
What the missioner Says,
When the attention of the commissioner
of patents. Mr.. Seymour, was called to
the matter by Star reporter. he said: Il
cannot enter into contention over this
matter. but will say that was directed
by the Joint committee on printing to go
ahesd and advertise for bids for printing
the Gazette. have asked the public print
er to do this printing. and he says he
could. with an outlay Of about 5000 for
plant. make tbs Illustrations but the whole
work would cost him about $1,000 more
than the appropriation of S09655 1 prefer
to have the government printing office do
the work. 1 said so in my last annual re-
port
ITO be on the safe side in the construction
of the clause In the appropriation act
have advertised for alternative bids. I'm
der one offer we should continue as now to
make up dummies from proofs of type set
at the government printing office. Under
another proposition the typesetting is to be
| done by the contractor, well as the IL
Illustrations. / have acted under the direc-
ton of the committee.