Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-10-26

the board of examiners in chief. while
the rest of his time is given to the az
ministrative duties of the position his
judgments on appeal are speedily rem
dered. Often. Immediately on the ad-
journment of a hearing, he calls ste
nographer and dictates his findings IN
terse English, covering every point. ana
rarely is Ii necessary for him 10 make
change or revision.
Commissioner Ewing came to the pat
ent office as one returning to an OLD
home. He and his ancestry have been
intimately associated with the once his
grandfather the late sThomas Ewing,
was the first Secretary of the Interior.
appointed by President Zachary Taylor
on the creation of the department in 1919.
and the patent office was one or the nrsl
bureaus named in the act to be placed
under that department.
x x
Commissioner Ewing himself for two
years-from 1883 to 1S90-was an assist
ant examiner of patents in the office.
and resigned from that position to enter
the practice of patent law. in which he
had been continuously engaged to the
time of his appointment.
He is third of his line to bear the Chris
tian name Thomas, his father, the late
Gen. Thomas Ewing. son of the former
Secretary himself being notable figure
in American public life.
Commissioner Ewing was born at Leav-
enworth, Kan, May u, 1862 He was a
student at the University Of Wooster,
Ohio, from 1879 to 1881. and thence went
to Columbia College, New York. where
he received his B. A. degree In 1886. A
year later he received his NJ. A. degree
from the same institution. Then follow
ed two years in Columbia Law School.
While a student there he tutored i'll the
Columbia School of Mines.
patent office that Mr. Ewing took the
law course at Georgetown University.
from which he received his B. L. degree
In 1890. Since 1901 he has practiced in
New York and has solicited number of
now famous patents.
With this equipment. then, he comes to
direct Uncle Sans patent office, the larg-
est institution OF the kind in the world.
; There is nothing picturesque about the
work I shall do he told visitor re-
Gently. 1T does not lend itself to the
making of sensational news; but in view
OF the great Importance of the interests
with which the bureau deals any sub
stantial improvement In the discharge of
the duties which l may be able to bring
about are bound to be of material bene-
fit to the public"
That may be taken as statement of
his official creed.
In discussing the work of the patent
bureau and in giving an idea as to what
his own tasks will be, the commissioner
said:
Prom a practical viewpoint. the pro-
lection afforded an invention or dis
covery by the United States patent Office
is better perhaps than that given by the
patent systems of many other countries.
I'm order to accomplish this. the stat
utes governing the issuance of patents
were drafted to the end of granting to
an inventor an absolute monopoly for the
manufacture and use of his article for d.
limited period. at the same time of con-
serving to the public the benefits of the
invention
ITO meet the objects Of the statutes
the prevention OF the granting of in
valid patents-the examination system
was installed in the United States patent
office.
THE presence or absence of the ex-
animation system constitutes the chief
difference of practice between the differ
ent patent offices of the world. Some of
the Offices do not have this system at all .
France, in particular, whose Office issues