The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-12-25
LABOR-sAvING INVENTIONS.
How Some New Devices Have Inc
creased Work for Men and Women.

creased Work for Men and Women.
w. Z. Curtis, in Chicago Record.
The Patent Office is the place to study
progress, and to recognize the great advance
that has been made in civilization during
the last eighteen years-greater than at any
similar period of the worlds history. If we
were thrown back only a decade we would
find ourselves deprived of numerous conf
forts and conveniences and labor-saving ma
chinery which have become necessaries OF
life and whose value would be realized only
If we were to be deprived of them. Mr..
Charles H. Duell. the present commissioners
of patents, who has, during the few months
he has been in charge, earned the reputa-
ton of model official. may be said to have
inherited the office, for his father was COM
missioner in 1876. at the period when the
invention by the exhibition made under his
direction at the Centennial Exposition ar
''At that Time" remarked Commissioner
DUEL, the other day. lit was believed by
many that the inventions there e5Imbited
represented the highest development posi-
BILE in the industrial arts, but from oux
standpoint, at the close of the century. we
see that it had only just begun. For three
years afterward there was falling on IN
the number of applications for patents re-
ceived but in 1880 the boom began, and has
been continued until last year the number
was 6OGO-more than twice the total received
in 1876. The total last year was 4I,Eo.
THE reputation of the Yankees for invent
i've genius is maintained heroically .oo O 0dn
total number of patents now exceeds 6OO,OOO.
In 1897 it was 574, 369 to W6.OSl FOR France,
252 600 for Great Britain, 1924 for Germany
ard 139,742 for Belgium. Connecticut con-
tinues to be the home of inventors, and last
year got one patent for every 7S6 of her in-
habitants. Next in order are MASSACHUSETTS
one to every 1,1S0; District of Columbia,
one TO every 1876; New Jersey one to every
] ,377; Rhode Island, one to every 1421; New
York. one to every 1,5S5. The fewest patents
were granted in proportion to the number or
inhabitants in the following states: south
Carolina enc to every 1851; North Carolina
one to every 1887 Mississippi, one TO 20 every
IaI,o n
Georgia, one to every 14,lS3.
What inventions have had the highest
commercial yalueT | asked. o,,,.. 49,.
1.-The cotton gin, the sewing machine, thel
self-binding harvester barb-wire fencings
the roller 1our mill, sulphite paper process,
the telephone, the application of electricity
to light and power the typewriter, the BIZ
cycle photography, the cash register, aiu-
minimum and basic steel process, by which
they produce steel from phosphorus, ana
therefore capable of being worked when
cold. The fear that these labor-saying inven-
tions which have revolutionized industry,
would deprive people OF employment mas NOT
been realized. On the contrary, they nave
opened new fields and created a demand for
labor that is unprecedented. In manufactur-
ing industries the capital invested increased
over 120 per cent. from 1880 to 1880, or from.
So 7S0 766, $50 to S. 139 397, 1855. The number or
employees Increased from ZlO3 ios 10 4,4lo,eos'
The average yearly wages or employees,
which in 1859 was but $247, increased to-
$429 in 1890 / believe that the next census
will show even a greater increase curing
the present decade.
1.-The typewriter alone has furnished EN-.
ployment for hundreds of thousands of wom-
en-, has increased the consumption or sta"
tionery to an extent that cannot De con-
cedved and has contributed enormously to
the revenues of the postal service The uss
of the typewriter Is universal among Dusi-
ness houses and professional men. A stare
ment was published year ago that IN tnlr-
ty-four Office buildings in New YORK city
1926 were in use Agencies for the sale OF
typewriters, dealers in supplies and schools
for teaching their use are found IN every
town. There was no report OF TINS industry
in the census of 1880, but in the census OF
1890 there were 1OS1 schools, with over 2l ,VO0
pupils nearly all Of them women. Since
then the industry has enlarged enormously.
The exports of typewriters for the last year
were valued at $1,566,9l6.
1.-THE bicycle industry is even greater ln
1885 more than S100000,O00 and over 00,Ou
workmen were employed in their manufacs
turc and the output in 1897 was over l,OVO'UVO
wheels.
alton little more than ten years ago; In
1897 the mileage was 1875, the capital m
vested was nearly $l,000,OO0,OOO, and the nuIn-
Der of employees was 10000.
I'm 1880 the telephone was novelty,
toy. now it is a necessity OF hfe Every
town has it's telephone system, and the pro-
duction OF copper wire to supply II alone
employs thousands of men.
1.-THE manufacture of electrical machinery
and apparatus is another great industry, one
of the largest in the United States. Prob
ably not less than 500, Is invested In
it's production, with an equal amount in the
production of light and power
THE cash-register industry has also as
suned enormous proportions In 1895 the
number in use was over 100000 valued at
SIG 900 900, while the cash-carrier industry in
the five years between 1880 and 1885 grew to
such an extent that three or the leading
companies had on rental not less than
thirty Thousand systems. / might mention
a large number of extensive and profitable
Industries which are due directly to the
stimulus of invention given by our patent
system, and the indirect benefit TO man
kind SimDlV inCalculdble.'