Evening star., 1934-10-11
DISTRICT EMPLOYS
PATENT ATTORNEY
IN SEWAGE FIGHT
Competing Firms Seek Roy
aIties on Chemical Process
for New Plant.
STUDY WILL BE MADE
AS TO INFRINGEMENT
Activated Sludge, Inc, Declared
Willing to Sell It's Rights
for 100000.

The Commissioners today employed
q patent attorney to advise them if
they would be infringing on patent
rights if plans for the sewage disposal
plant were drafted during the exist
ence of patents. although actual use
of the plant was not started until after
the patents expired.
This step was taken while a deter
mined contest was being waged by
various commercial interests for pat
ent royalties which may have to be
paid if certain types of processes have
to be used in the plant to be built at
Blue Plains under an $4,000, 900 grant
from the Public Works Administra-
ton.
The Commissioners employed Lloyd
Sutton, a member of the firm of Cam
eron, Kerkam & Sutton to give advice
on the infringement question. The
cost will come out of the P. w. A.
funds. Sutton is chairman of pat
ent advisory committee serving for
the Patent Office
The contract for the P. w. A. loan
drafted and signed by Secretary of In
terror Ickes and now awaiting action
by the Commissioners, calls for use
Of machinery employed in an &C
tivated sludge type of plant.
Final Decision Waits.
Both P. w. A. officials and Col. Sui
tan, however, have said final decision
had not been made as to the type of
process to be used The fact that the
activated sludge method is incor-
porated in the contract has been
taken to mean this process would be
followed unless officials were con-
yinced different method would prove
efficient and more economical.
The point involved is that Activated
Sludge, Inc, holds patents on the type
of process now planned for the District
plant. Unoffcially it has been said
this concern would settle for about
100000, but officials said a formal
offer had not been filed.
Hearing Arranged.
The struggle for royalties was in
creased today when hearing was ar
ranged for Col. W. S. Weeks, U. S. A,
retired, and John w. Boyer, represent
ing holders of patents on a chemical
process. Col Weeks is secretary of
the Calico Chemical Co., Inc, of Bound
Brook, N. j. Boyer is vice president
in charge of sales for the Filtration
Equipment Corp. and is affiliated with
the Calico Co., a unit of the American
Cyananid Co. These men represent
the holders of the Laughlin process
used in a disposal plant at Dearbon,
Mich.
Representatives of the Guggenheim
Bros, yesterday argued for a chem
ical precipitation process, stating that
royalties amounting to $650,0OO were
involved. They claimed their type of
plant could be built for approximately
half the amount of the activated
sludge plant for which the outside
cost is set at 100000. Col. Sultan
was represented today as being du-
bious about urging Secretary Ickes to
change over to this type of process
for the reason that there is no plant
in operation of any size using this
process. Such a plant is to be built
with P. w. A. money at Raleigh, N. c.
The capacity of that plant, however,
will be about 100000 gallons a day
as compared with the capacity of
130,000,000 said to be required for
Washington. An experimental plant
using this chemical process has been
set up at Chicago. 1t has a capacity
of 10000 gallons a day. Proponents
Of this type of plant were Talbot
Todd, Edward Savage and Cappelon
Smith, representing the Guggenheim
interests
Because of the hearings on type of
plant and the royalty question, the
Commissioners temporarily are delay
ing signing of the 8O00,O 900 contract
sent to them by Secretary IckeS.