Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-11-19
THE PATENT OFFICE
Commissioner Allen Explains Its
Exact Condition.
HIS ASSISTANT ASSENTS
Work is Being Brought Up as Fast as
Possible.
NO THOUGHT OF RES1GNING
Less Number Of Cases on Hand Now
Than a Year Ago-Secretary
Hitchcock's Confidence.
o THOUGHT OF REs1GN1NG

Commissioner Frederick l. Allen OF the
patent office this morning called into his
private Office Assistant Commissioner Ed
ward B. Moore and cross-examined him
concerning certain statements in a New
York newspaper attributed to him, and
which include an allegation that the patent
office Is running behind in its work at the
rate of about $50 cases week. Mr.. Moore
declared that the interviewer called upon
him early In September. when that condi-
ton was true. but the article for some
reason had been withheld until yesterday
He fully agreed with Mr.. Allen that at the
present date the number of pending cases
Is less than 1t was last January, and that
the allegation read in the light of present
conditions Is absolutely erroneous.
Mr.. Moore further agreed with Mr.. Allen
that exactly the opposite condition prevails
and that the office is steadily catching up
In its work. and has been for a number
of weeks. When the commissioner read to
him the interview referred to. he laughed
at it. -
Office Doing the Best It Can.
In the light of the action Of the Interna-
tional Congress of Inventors, in session re-
Gently at Rochester, n. Y, In demanding
that Congress investigate conditions in the
patent Office so that remedy for delay in
handling cases may be applied, the confer
ence of the commissioner with his SUBJ
ordinate at which Mr. Allen permitted
the presence or representative OF Inc
star, was exceptionally interesting. A COM
plete explanation of affairs given by
Moore. Both said the patent office was do
Ing the very best 1t could under the cir
Gums. ances anu was INCREASING i's CHI
Another circumstances which added s;e-
nificance to the conference was the antag-
onism said to exist between the commits
sicner and the assistant commissioner.
Some months ago the question of allowing
Mr.. Moore to attend to the executive at
fairs of the office in the absence of Mr.,
Allen on his summer vacation was con-
tested nv natent ATTORNEYS II was stated
on good authority at the time that the
President took a hand in the matter and
made it necessary for Mr.. Allen to turn
ovar tho cou,nIate s,nar,Nsion Of the of5ca
hreakinp through a custom of a number Of
years standin~
PersonaI charge AGAINST Mr. Auen uera
inoI,,daJ In ~ st.tsn,ants nrintaa ras+ar
day and +basa 100 nortjo,Iarl,. rosantad
~ nv A,an Ea roc ,ot tba si;ohtast ~
to-, "a resjerin. ' bis pos;.inn sbnld Co.
stor plat u,So is aid 70 he his nolitica,
haoL;na daoida tn Iaa'-a ~ cana+ $500
pa ia; ueriae u lgaTe tlle Sena'e ueloae
~, ~. ras1pt of n,acbinations On +ha nert
% narsor, - ,,ish 20 b,,r+ hir, ~ 49,
th.t, the ambitions NJ anotbar NAV NAV no
sa.iseaS This noorninr Nj ATa, os1,e".
To cto o6o hxyO
1I,tai,aon, =; ',rnart - his .r,,nts.rot1ay
III 80 ~ alrorda ,h].., an s,,aia;o.
n-oof tba+ III. cbarees ware faIse
MT. Aliens EXPLANATION.
Tn axn,on,+,o, of mo nr.san+ sto+e of
Va
aHalrs MI. Aieh saio'
Every spring the quantity OF cases re-
ceived each week by the patent Office in
creases enormously, SO that with the pres
ent force the work naturally falls behind.
This is caused also by the yearly increase
in our business, which Is not met by an
increase in the force until long after it
should be-
For instance, when Congress was about
to enact a more liberal trademark law. in
February 1905, 1 asked that a larger force
be provided for to meet the demand upon
the examiners and clerks which I esti-
mated would result from the new enact
ment. Congress did not grant INV request
because 1t did not care to appropriate
That year / got only nine new examiners.
which 1 had asked for to meet the natural
annual increase.
did increase our work Immensely and we
fell behind
But we always fall behind each spring
and summer, owing to the increased activ-
ity of inventors in the spring and to the
summer vacations of employees. In the
fall We customarily cut down this pile of
back work and average up well for the
year AS have said, we have less cases
on hand now than we had last January,
and we are reducing the number every
week by a large amount. 1t is very I'M
kind for any person writing upon this
question to merely view the summer situa-
ton and leave the work Of the fall entirely
out of consideration. 1t is also illogical
and inaccurate.
Another instance of how the thing works
is this: In September, 1905. anticipating the