Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-10-12

n THOUGH the patent right sys-
n tenn of the world had its incep-
~ ton in England and now finds
the most effective application IN
Germany. il probably has rem
derad it's greatest service in the United
States. The civilized nations of the earth
have issued 100000 patents. and OF
these more than a million have been is
sued by the American patent office.
The genius of invention came with the
empire builders to jamestown and Cape
Cod and in 1911 the colony of Massa-
chusetts granted Samuel Winslow pat
ent for a new method of making salt. In
1916 a patent was granted to Joseph
jerks for an engine for the more speedy
cutting of grass" This engine" was
nothing more than an old-fa shioned NOW
ing scythe, but it was the first OF a long
line of American agricultural machines
which have revolutionized the farm life
of the world.
the Federal Constitution and the First
Congress passed a law crea ting patent
commission made up of the Secretary OF
State, the Secretary of War and the At
months before the first applicant for a
patent appeared. Samuel Hopkins had
invented a new process OF making pot
and pearl ashes, and was granted a pat
later another act was passed and the
Secretary of State became the head of
the system Since that day the Amer
lean inventor has led the world. He is
bringing out new ideas at the rate of
more than 10000 a year. During the re-
cent fiscal year $500 patents were grant
ed out of $1,000 applications filed.
These patents covered the entire range
of human ingenuity. Each decade
brings some epoch-making basic inven-
ton. which in turn brings in its train
thousands of other inventions. When
the automobile was first patented there
had been no need for the thousand-and-
one attachments that have followed. No
such thing siren horn or an anti
joy-riding device was dreamed of before
the automobile came into popular use.
AS soon as the flying machine becomes
commercially feasible the patent ONCE
will do tremendous business in patents
ON appurtenances for the Improvement
of aerial navigation
Indirectly the development of American
inventive genius has been due to the
fostering care of the patent office. 1t Is
estimated by stat.sticians that two-thirds
of all the national wealth is the product
of inventions. Great industries have
been called into existence through the
patent system, and have given employ
ment to hundreds of thousands of people
with wages and salaries aggregating hum
dreds of millions of dollars. In less than
forty years the activities of the inventor
in the field of electrical application have
resulted IN the ming OF patents winch
have built up all industry with total
investment of S7,COOOOO.OOO.
There are forty-t three divisions in the
patent Office under which applications
for patents are made. embracing all the
known arts. These general classes in
turn are each divided into subclasses and
theer are many thousands of subjects
upon which patents are issued. Every
applicant for a patent pays stated fee.
So for his patent. This, with the other
receipts of the patent office. has created
a net surplus of more than SI.O0O.0O. In
other words in spite of the vast benefit
conferred upon the nation by inventors,
they have been taxed 81 100000 more than !
it cost to maintain the American patent
system.
= great celebration was held in the city
of Washington in 1891 In honor of the
first centennial of American patent his
tory. Four hundred and fifty thousand
patents had been issued up to that time.
Statesmen. inventors and publicists were
enthusiastic in boasting of the achieve
ments of the century. Since that time
only twenty years have passed, yet in
those twenty short years more patents
have been granted than in the full CEN
fury that went before. In 1891 Con-
gress made an investigation of the wage
problem, which showed that the average
mechanic was then getting twice much
wages his predecessor in 1S4O The
average mechanic of 1911 gets twice as