Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1932-05-29
SCIENCE SPURS INDUSTRY
ON TOWARD NEW FIELDS
Laboratory Activities Booming Despite
Trade Lull-Exert Vital Influence
on World Situation.

tial to the creation of bridges that
heretofore have been impossible. Still
others have had direct bearing on
architecture and construction, the pro-
duction OF power and performance Of
engines, the making Of airplanes, auto
mobiles, buses, locomotives. all forms
Of both horizontal and vertical trans
portation.
But one has only to look on any
modern farm in any American city,
office, home or kitchen to see many
tokens of the numberless WAYS in
which industrial science has changed
the scene and our way of life
And by the same token, of course, 1t
has changed nearly all phases Of bust
ness strategy
1t used to be that when a manufac-
turer thought up or acquired an idea
that could be shaped into patentable
machine or process, he was safe from
competition, at least during the dura-
ton OF the patent-l7 years Thus
each great invention resulted in one
or more industries correspondingly
great, essentially because a patent
represents a monopoly Consequently
many shrewd business strategist saw
the logic OF establishing his own re-
search laboratory and, as a result, not
few companies have established mo-
| nOpOueS DdSed on patents
! The mantle of the inventor has in
large measure passed over. accordingly,
| to our industrial laboratories. Today
more than half of the patents issued
by our Government are in the names
OF individuals working In them-for
| the law still requires the issuing Of
patents to individuals only. Then
they are reassigned. sometimes on a
royalty or partnership basis.
Many Aid Advance.
! The achievements of our big research
Laboratories prove that two heads, or
J two hundred, or two thousand, if well
selected and directed, are better than
one. The fact is, the evolution of the
vacuum tube, which made radio, long
distance telephony, the talkies and
many another miracle and new indus
try possible, no doubt represents a sum
total of hundreds of years of devoted
individual and group effort And it is
said that televiSion has already required
the high skill of no less than 40 differ
ent types Of scientific specialists.
But in the new competition brought
about by technology. it is not always
safe for manufacturing company to
put dependence upon a patent. Ac-
cordlngly, there are those who insist
that manufacturer might better can
Gel even his fire insurance than to FORE
go laboratory research.
The number of applications for pat
ents has increased approximately IS per
cent and the number of cases awaiting
action 500 per cent-from around 81
600 to more than l20.000-in a decade.
An applicant can now hardly expect to
obtain patent in less than two years
from the time he files his application,
and Is likely to have to wait from three
to flve years, which is long time when
! technology Is changing the scene SO
fast
| Nevertheless, not a few manufacture
ers by making use of patents accumu-
lated by their laboratories, have saved
the day for themselves in the midst of
the depression. In the automobile in
dustry several companies have been
conspicuous for their success in thus
dipping into their bag of tricks. In
the building Industry. in time when
construction was at standstill one of
numerous companies heartily addicted
TO laboratory research to produce new
products or to improve old ones,
brought forth patented product with
a registered trade name and by alert
advertising and merchandising is in
creasing its sale approximately As per
cent over 1881, and more than 1876 per
cent over 1929. And a company in the
drug product field has obtained
volume increase of approximately 200
per cent in the midst of the depression
by the use of laboratory findings in
combination with smart advertising
and merchandising
From the chemical industries new
products flow in almost giddy sequence
Role is Recognized.
Science is changing what We eat, and
when and why. Thus, the application
OF vacuum packing to such humble
item as cashew nuts, a wayside pas
sion for some of US, has zoomed the
sales of this Indian product in America
from 100000 pounds in 1922 to more
than l0,500,000 pounds last year.
1t also has changed what we touch
and see, how We travel. what We read;
even, in measure, what all of us. and
particularly our manufacturers. bank
ers and other business men. think.
Today industrial science has no end
of other national and international
meaning. particularly to those who
understand the herculean, even desper-
ate struggle nowadays everlastingly
going on between nations to secure or
to safeguard supplies of materials that
are essential to war as well as peace.
/ In any case, it would seem that our
manufacturers have seen the hand
writing on the wall. and our research
industry is booming as never before.