Evening journal., 1922-03-24

by Edwin J. Prindle, OF New York
City. chairman OF the Patents Com
mittees OF The American Chemical
Society and OF The Federated Amer
ican Engineering Societies;
Comparatively few persons fully
realize the vital part which our
patent system has played in the de-
velopment and prosperity OF this
country. When our patent system
was established, farming was con-
Quoted almost wholly by the use Of
a few hand tools. requiring the mus
Gle OF man to drive them and his
skin to guide them. The plow and
the harrow did not do much more
than TO scratch the surface OF the
ground. Agriculture had been in
this condition for thousands II
years. Within rs years after our
| patent system was established.
wonderful transformation had taken
place. The hand tools had been r,-
placed by horse-drawn or powe
driven machinery. which was a'thcr
automatic or NEEDED only to be guild
ed by the operative and did not re-
qulre his strength TO propel IL. The
amount OF labor which a man could
do in a day had been increased from
10 TO Is fold. This enabled vast
tracts OF land 10 be cultivated which
would otherwise have lain idle It
put agriculture practically on a
| manufacturing basis. II enabled our
country TO withdraw six million men
from agriculture and the industries
and yet to raise enough food not
only for our great population. but to
supply the Allied and other coun-
tries. But FOR these inventions pro-
duced by the American patent sys-
tenn. great numbers OF people would
have starved in Europe during the
war, and It Is quite possible the war
would have been lost.
When our patent system was es-
/ tablished, we we're essentially an ag-
ricultural country. our manufactur-
Ing amounting to but very little
| Thomas Jefferson was unusually pro-
gressive In conducting the business
OF making nails by hand at Monu-
cello. Today nail-making machines.
which arc the work OF American in
ventors, will produce more nails IN
an hour than Jefferson's whole force
OF men could produce in a month.
Today. through the work OF Amer
lean inventors, we are the for most
country in the world In manufaotur-
ing. Our products are continually
being improved 40 that their posi-
ton IN the lead Is maintained. Our
methods OF manufacture are 40 ef-
/ fcient and our use OF more or less
automatic machinery so common,
that we have been enabled. until the
war, 70 manufacture at such a cost
as 10 compete with labor abroad.
while enabling our own labor to live
on a scale far above that OF labor In
any other country.
The inventions which have been
produced by our inventors are in
Vulnerable and extend into every
field. The steamboat the cotton gin
tho telegraph. the sewing machine
tho telephone, the incandescent
electric light. the phonograph. the
automobile, the air-brake. the aero
plane, great improvements in wire
less telegraphy and telephony. are
but few examples.
These wonderful results are due
TO the incentive held out by our
/ patent system Of an absolute monop-
oily of an invention for II years. af-
ter which the invention should he
free to the public.
No other cause can he pointed TO
hut the American patent system. for
wa are not more inventive than Eu-
ropeans, being ourselves OF the same
stock II cannot be due to our nat
ural resources for other countries
have these in large measure also.
Our patent system is therefore, OF
priceless value and It should be
most jealousy guarded. We cannot
afford TO ID anything that will i'm
pair its incentive 10 produce inven-
tions. So surely as we do. other
countries will equal us or forge
ahead Of us in position.
have great sympathy for our
chemical Industries in the compe-
tition which they are experiencing
from Germany. The healthful con
dition Of our chemical industries IS
of great importance 10 our welfare.
Those who have 30 generously ven
tured large sums to build them up
should have general sympathy and
every possible aid 10 maintain them
selves in the face OF foreign compe-
tltlon. believe they should be
given assistance by the tariff no
matter how nigh that may have 10
he 10 accomplish the result, and by
an embargo which is broadly enough
drawn and literally enough admin
istered to give substantial protection
For instance. so that II will pre-
vent importation and only permit Il
when there are practical reasons
why a dye made in the United States
will not serve the purpose Of the
foreign dye.
A bill. known as the Ladd Bill.
has just been introduced In the SEN
ate to amend tho patent law in an
effort TO protect tho chemical indus
tries In substance the bill provides
that unless a patent Is worked-that
Is. that the invention Is made. used
or sold by the patentee within five
years or the patent assigned-the
patent shall become invalid. II the
patent is assigned. the assignee
must either work the patent within
two years or assign Il TO someone
else, who must work It within two
years