Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-01-25
New Patent Office Needed.
To the Editor Of The Star:

To the Editor of The Star: ".."
I was very much interested indeed in
the article published in a recent issue Of
The Star regarding the Thomson bill,
providing for the erection Of new patent
Office building.
The almost absolute necessity Of new
accommodations for the United States
patent office is conceded by every enc
having a knowledge Of present condi-
tons. Year after year, for number of
years. the commissioner Of patents has
drawn to the attention Of Congress the
need of a new office building to house
the invaluable records Of the Office, and
to enable the tremendous force Of en-
ployes of the patent office to work under
conditions that will subserve the highest
efficiency.
/ desire to comment especially upon
the proposal that the new patent office
building be located north Of the present
Library of Congress-a location which,
in view of many years Of experience In
to be undesirable The most important
consideration in determining upon the
location of new patent office must, as
this matter appeals to me. be that Of
carrying forward the broad plans for the
the vast number Of persons who are in
terested in the patent business, and of
whom there are more In Washington
than in any other city in the Union,
should be borne in mind. The proximity
of these two buildings would not be con-
sidered Of much practical Importance
from the viewpoint Of either the examin-
ing force at the patent Office or the ex-
tremely large number of attorneys prac-
ttcing before the patent bureau. In the
research work Of attorneys 1t becomes
necessary occasionally to consult the
scientific records Of the library, but the
similar records of the patent office are
very extensive and in almost nine cases
poses of exhaustive examination. To
transfer the location of the patent office
from its present site to q location SO re-
mote from the business center of our
city. as proposed, seems to me to be dis
advantageous as failing to conform with
the general plan Of improvement Of the
city involving to a large extent the loca-
ton of important public buildings along
the Mall.
Furthermore. to build tie new patent
office at the place suggested above would
be a tremendous inconvenience to the
| large number Of patent attorneys in this
city who have established their BUSH
nesses In more or less proximity to the
present patent Office. not to say any,
thing Of the manner in which the owners
of a large number Of Office buildings adj
| jacent to the patent once would be seri-
| ously affected by very considerable de-
crease III Tic value VI GieiT property. F'or
many reasons, therefore, il would appear
| that when our new patent office is con-
structed three main considerations should
be weighed very carefully. the same be-
| Ing primarily these:
| First The carrying forward of the
general accepted plan for the improve
| ment of our city.
| Second. The situation Of the new patent
| office reasonably close to the business
| center of the city.
| Third. The convenience of the many
| attorneys and other persons doing bust
ness with the bureau incidental to the
erection Of the new building either on its
present site or within a comparatively
short distance from the latter.
| JOHN F. RUBB.