Evening star., 1908-01-13
ASKS FOR BETTER QUARTERS
PATENT CoGNISSIoNER ALSO
REQUESTS HIGHER SALARY.

The annual report of Commissioner
Moore of the patent ONCE to Congress
was made public today.
The commissioner reports that addi-
tional room will soon be needed for the
patent office. and he recommends either
that the present building be remodeled In
order to provide more room. or else that
new building be asked Of Congress,
which could be paid for entirely out OF
the surplus In the Treasury to the credit
Of the patent office. which. January 1.
to the fact that this surplus of net re-
ceipts over the expenditures has been de-
rived entirely from the fees paid by the
inventors OF the country. directly or in
directly.
The work has been for years very much
in arrears. and Is In the same condition at
this time. This condition Is due to the
small and insufficient force of examiners
and clerks to meet the great body of
work coming In. large increase yearly.
which is not always capable Of being esti-
mated In advance.
Great Mass Of Patents
The number OF United States patents Is
sued to date is S67 DDS: reissues OF pat
ents. 1887; design patents, 3s.S42; trade
marks registered. 65.467: labels regis
tered, 1880. and prints. 2,122. There are
also about 100000 foreign patents Of all
countries. which are obtained by exchange
with the countries belonging to the Inter-
national Union for the Protection Of In
dustrial Property.
The number of patents. both domestic
and foreign; is now SO vast and is grow
ing SO rapidly, and the field Of search to
determine novelty and validity by the ex-
aminers, attorneys and inventors. Is SO
extensive. that the classification OF this
material should be rapidly pushed to COM
pletion. A complete classification Of these
3.S7O,0O0 patents would result In lessening
the time Of search about 30 per cent, and
the future increase in the Office force
would be very slight compared with the
subsequent volume of work received, ow-
ing to this complete classification.
It is recommended that the salary Of
the commissioner Of patents be raised to
$1,000 q year. the salary Of the assistant
commissioner to 81, 500 a year and the
salaries of the examiners-in-chief to $4,000
a year.
More Examiners Wanted.
Two law examiners at 5000 each are
recommended In place of two law clerks
at $500. 1t is pointed out that these
law examiners are now, and their sue
cessors should be. law graduates. both in
general and patent law.
1t is recommended that there be pro-
vided sixty examiners at 81, 100 a year
each. seventy examiners at 81, 100 year
each, eighty examiners at $2.1O a year
each. sixty examiners at 1850 a year
each and 30 examiners at 1900 year
each-an increase Of forty-nine examiners
including one principal examiner.
A substantial increase Is asked for the
clerical force of the ONCE. and 1t Is
pointed out that the work performed by
them is of high order and 1t takes a
clerk a long time to become proficient.
The total number of applications for
patents. reissues and designs in the year
1908 was So. 49,. and for 1907 was 5S. 1872.
showing an increase Of 2.19O. 1t is esti-
mated that between 5000 and 1000 trade
marks each year will probably be about
the normal number.
The total number Of patents granted in
1905 was 31.965: in 1907. $500, being
gain over 1905 of 1856 patents, which is
the largest increase in any one year from
1886 down to date.
Surplus for Year.
The total receipts of cash for 1906 were
81, 100 9o1.38. and the total cash receipts
for 1907 were 81 1.91O.6 .61S.14. This shows an
increase OF money receipts over the pre-
ceding year of $1i9.696.76. The total
amount of expenditures for all purposes
for the calendar year ending December 81.
1907, is 81, ,631. .45S.56. which. deducted from
the total cash receipts of the office for
that period. leaves net surplus of $279.-
1875. This increase of the surplus OF
1907 over 1908 is $43. 1900. The total
amount Of surplus or net earnings OF the
patent office over all expenditures for the
of this bureau and covered
into the treasury Of the United States Is
now $6. .7O6 1874.