The Washington times., 1921-02-16
URGES AID FOR
PATENT OFFICE
Increase OF Pay and Personnel
Imperative, Says Curtis,
Federal Expert.

Endorsement or the Nolan patent
bill, providing for the increase OF
salaries OF employees OF the Patent
onice, as well as enlarging the per-
sonnel, was voiced today by Edward
G. Curtis, special assistant to the
Attorney General, in charge OF Gov
ernment patent litigation.
.OUTRAGE,- SAYS CURTIS.
1T is an outrage that Patent onice
employees. who must OF necessity be
highly skillful. trained men, should
be obliged to work for the aesurdiy
inadequate pay they now receive
said Curtis.
He stated that he was unable 10
see how any thinking person couio
conscientiously oppose those SECTIONS
of the bin which provide for the IN
crease of the force and or salaries
He said that IL was iajnehtaoie
that theseN conditions had mol peeh
remedied before this, and that In ms
opinion the interests of the Pupiic
would be Immensely served by a
prompt and considerable increase !"
salaries and equipment
Curtis declared that he had always
supported the Nolan bill insofar aS
he could consistently do so in view OF
his official position with the Depart
ment of Justice, but that he was OPP
posed to section o OF the measure,
which provides that the Federai
Trade Commission be empowered to
accept inventions and patents or Gov
ernment employees and to issue
licenses.
OPPOSES SECTION.
II regard this part of the measure
as exceedingly unfortunate and cap
able OF doing considerable harm.
said Curtis. He declared that he had
been consistently opposed to that sec
tion of the bill. and had, upon re-
quest OF the chairman OF the House
and Senate conference committees,
stated his views at Congressional
hearings. He said he understood that
considerable number of Industrial
interests were now engaged In an
effort to defeat the entire bill be-
cause of section 0. With this effort
he said he was unable to agree. since.
according to his understanding, the
bill now having been reported out or
conference, a successful effort to de-
feat one section of the bill would
probably mean the defeat of the en-
tire measure. including the provisions
for the improvement OF conditions al
the Patent Office.
Il am inclined to believe that great
public dement's would be brought
about by the passage of those sec
tions applying to the betterment of
conditions in the Patent Office" Cur
tbs said. "and these outweigh the
possible harm that might result from
the passage of section o."
He thought that as between killing
the entire measure because Of the
undesirable section relating to the
Federal Trade Commission. and per-
mitting the measure to pass. even
with that section in it. for the beneft
of the Patent Office, he believed the
latter procedure was preferable.
CAREFUL STUDENT OF NEEDS.
Curtis. since assuming the defense
of the United States in it's extensive
and complicated patent litigation, has
made a careful study of the Govern
ment patent situation and needs,
especially with a view to organizing
the patent work in the various execu-
tive branches. AS special assistant
to the Attorney General, he has
charge of the interests of the Govern
ment and all its departments in all
patent suits brought against the
United States, either directly against
the Government in the Court of
Claims, or Indirectly through their
representatives or constructors in
outside courts. He also has the re-
sponsibility of preparing the official
opinions of the Attorney General on
questions relating to patents, and
watches generally over the interests
of the Government on all patent,
trade mark, and copyright matters.
Curtis declared that many of the
leading patent attorneys of the coun-
try had expressed themselves to him
in regard to the poor pay of Patent
office employees and the lack of per-
sonnel He said that Frederick L.
Emery, of Boston, head of the firm of
Emery, Booth, Janney G. Varney, who
also heads a large patent Arm in New
York and Washington, declared him
self very strongly about tia magter
when he was in the Capital recently.
"The low salaries that these en-
ployes receive from the Government is
absolutely shameful" Emery declared.
"and the salaries as well as the Pat
ent Office personnel should have been
increased long ago"