Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-10-11

| The Department of the Interior has a
varied lot Of things to look after. Pat
ents, pensions, public lands, bounty lands,
Indians, education. conservation, recla-
| nation, mining. public parks. map max
ing, water resOurces-these are some OF
the things which occupy the attention OF
the Secretary of the Interior. Like all
other cabinet officers, he has assistant
secretaries. There are two in his de-
partment. One has immediate oversight
OF Indian affairs, public lands and ap-
preparations; while the other has charge
of matters pertaining to the bureau of
education, the patent office, and the pen
sion office. There is also a chief clerk,
the man upon whom devolves the duty of
supervising the work Of the department,
and seeing that the orders of his superior
omcerS are carried out. There are also
an assistant attorney general. a disburs-
ing officer, and chiefs of the divisions of
mails and files, publications and supplies.
The patent office ranks first among the
bureaus of the Interior Department.
Thomas Jefferson is the inventor
of the American patent system. The
patent Office always has been a self
supporting institution. In point of fact,
1t has created a surplus of 100000 from
the fees received from inventors. 1t
now desires to have a home Of Its own
and thinks Uncle Sam ought to allow II
to use its 100000 surplus for building
such home. Although the building
which houses this bureau is known as
the patent office, it is in reality the
home of the Interior Department.
Patents are being applied for at the
rate of 10000 year. and are issued at
the rate of about
Patents Number $4,000 year There
$4,000 Annually nf COO ono apn,ica-
tons filed since the organization of the
Office. and more than a million patents
have been granted. They are now expir-
ing at the rate of about 22,0OO a year.
Many inventors are embarrassed by lack
of funds, as is shown by the fact that
| over 5000 patents are withheld each
year because the patentees have been un-
able to make the final payment thereon.
TIL first fee is $15 and the final one $40.
There also fees prescribed TO- the re-
issuance of patents, for design patents,
caveats, assignments, drawings, etc.
1t is becoming difficllt to find profitable
patentable Ideas. In one division of the
patent office there is kept list of all
the patents on wrenches, and 1t would
seem that thousands of wrench patents
have exhausted nearly every patentable
idea in that line. The same is true OF
every other division Of the patent CLASH
fication. In the case OF slot machines
there are thousands of them, Of all
shapes and sizes, even down to one which
will take the picture of any man trying
to pass bad nickel. but which will shine
his shoes if the nickel is a good one.
!. =
The pension Office is one of the big
gest money-handling bureaus of the gov
eminent. Since the
Work of the civil war 1t has paid
D on out about $4,000 OO.
Pension Ohce. 900 in pensions. More
than 100000 applications have been fill
ed, and upward of 1000, 600 of these have
been allowed. There are now about 9JO,-
600 pensioners carried on the rolls. APP
plicatiOns are still coming in at the rate
of some $1,000 a year, and are being al
lowed at the rate of 1900 q year. 1t
has already paid out more than fifty
times as much for pensions on account
of the civil war as was paid out On account
of the revolutionary war. The pension list
on account of the civil war is more
than thirty times as great as that Of all
other American wars together
Pensions are secured in two ways
under general legislative enactment and
by special acts Of Congress. The bulk of
the pensions are allowed upon applica-
tons con 'orning to the general legisla-
ton. Those whose records are so defective
that they cannot be granted under gen.
eral legislation as rule carry their
troubles to Congressman that body an
nually passes thousands of special acts
enabling men to get their names upon
the roll who otherwise could not do So
The commissioner of the general land
Office is charged with the survey, man.
agement and dis
Care of position of the pub
nl,: rJ lie lands and the set
A~Ao Element of conflicting
titles to those lands. He also executes all
laws relating to the surveying, prospect
ing, locating, etc. of lands In the national
forests. If an Indian reservation is to
be opened up it is his duty to arrange
the time and manner of the drawing, and
to handle all details relating to the estab-
lishment Of the homesteaders> on their
new farms. The sale of public lands in
the United States is no small thing. The
government has been the direct owner