The Washington times., 1906-10-08
More False Economy.

done to the Bureau of Patents by
continuing it in its present made
uate quarters and delaying its
york through the payment of the
resent inadequate salaries is eN-
-ected from the present Commis-
ioner in his annual report to the
secretary of the Interior. Mr..
liens predecessors have made sim
liar representations for twenty
Years past. This one, it is hoped,
may have cumulative force enough
and, by presenting clearly the
heightened need of the last five
years, make the case seem sutii-
ciently urgent to move Congress to
action.
Enough is set forth to prove the
need for better quarters if it is
established that those now occupied
are unequal TO the demands of eff
cient, business-lize administration.
Whatever the cost, the United
States ought not to maintain n
Bureau of Patents or a bureau of
anything else if it cannot do so with
out unnecessary delays, unfair pay
TO its employees, and unhealthful
quarters.
But in this case there are a dozen
reasons, all impressive and all good,
why the quarters of the Patent Of
fee and the pay of the examining
force should be improved as a bust
ness proposition.
First, il would obviate delay
which is extremely costly to the
nations industry. Under the most
favorable circumstances, the bureau
has been three months behind
throughout the past five years; to-
day 1t is six months behind, What
that tardiness means to the man
ufacturer whose product is affect
ed by pending application is mani
fest.
Second, the Patent Office has
earned decent quarters by netting
the Government more than the
probable cost. Through fees and
otherwise the office shows an an
nual surplus of receipts over ex-
penditures of about S25O.OOO. which
at the Governments borrowing
rate Of 1.s5 or 10 per CENTS the
interest on more than $4,000, 900.
Further. by this means it has ac-
cumulated a credit of about $7,OOO,-
600 and that sum is abundant to
house the bureau.
Third, the Government now pays
out in rent for bureaus which could
be well accommodated were quarters
obtained for the Patent Office, the
interest on about $4,000 OOO-and it
pays for Patent Office use alone the
sum of $4,000, which is the inter
est on more than $500, 900.
Fourth. the pay of the office force
IS so low that within five years 100
of its most valuable men have re-
signed TO obtain higher salaries
elsewhere. In the light of this rec
ord, Congress must make up its
mind either to adjust the pay Of its
patent examiners according 10 the
value of such services TO non-gov-
ernmental employers or to permit
the bureau TO lose in efficiency.
Patent attorneys and others have
suggested the purchase OF the
ground between the Pension Bureau
and the present Interior Building
and the construction on that site of
offices for the Secretary, the Bureau
of Education, the Civil Service Com
mission, the document clerks and
the other divisions now poorly ac-
commodated in rented quarters. BY
that means the entire building Of
which the Patent Office now uses
only part could be allotted to the
Commissioner of Patents and the
whole department kept within easy
reach Of the Secretary.
This is an interesting project and
has much to recommend il. But no
feature of it is important enough to
become an Issue in the general cam
paign for better quarters and high
er pay. Let Congress work out such
details. The patent bar. the news
papers, and the Administration
should devote themselves now to
making Congress see the need for
action.