Evening star., 1942-04-13
Draft Patents
As Well as Men,
Senators Urge
Committee Opens
Hearings With Letter
From President
By 7. A. OTEAKy.

IQree SenaCOrS-o oMdQOuey,
Democrat, of Wyoming; Bone,
Democrat, of Washington, and
La Toilette, Progressive, of Wis
consin-joined today in a de-
mand that patent rights be
drafted along with men to speed
up the war effort. They spoke
as the Senate Patents Commit
tee opened hearings on it's bill
to release patents for general use
under royalties.
President Roosevelt described the
subject as vital" in a letter to Sena-
tor Bone expressing his interest in
the hearings.
Senator OTMahoney told the COM
mittee that the American war effort
was being impeded by the refusal
Of patent holders to make available
a new process for manufacturing
plastic glass for warplanes, as well
as new developments in .ne process
ing Of iron ore and zinc.
Japs' Drain of Scrap Recalled.
Recalling how this country shipped
large quantities of scrap metal to
Japan before the war, Senator
OMahoney said he understood there
ARE not more than 4,000,00 tons Of
scrap steel in the country now" At
the same time, he said, there are
millions of tons of iron ore in the
United States. He said he has been
told this ore is untouched because
of the reluctance of industry to use
latest processes for its manufacture.
The bill would clothe the President
with broad power to issue licenses
permitting industries to use any
patented article or commodity, sub
ject only to payment Of reasonable
royalties.
U. S. Secrets Held Divulged.
Chairman Bone told the commit
tee that Congressional investigations
indicated that a system of cartel
and contractual agreements had
made available Ito our actual and
potential enemies secrets vital to
our defense"
These events will present a
strange picture to the historian of
the future" Senator Bone said, @and
it is vital that we know to what ex-
tent the rights and privileges we
have granted to individuals under
our patent law have been abused
and have brought aid and comfort
to those who assail us in this hour
of trial"
Recalling testimony before the
Senate Defense Investigating Com
mittee on cartel arrangements be-
tween Standard Oil Co. New Jer-
sey) and the I. G.. Farben Industries
of Germany, Senator OMahoney
said that while synthetic rubber pat
ents recently had been made avail
able by Standard, lack of steel was
holding up the construction Of
plants to manufacture the product.
La Toilette Wants Rubber Quiz.
Supporting Senator OMahoneyis
contentious, Senator La Toilette,
Progressive of Wisconsin, told the
committee it ought to look into the
patents applied for in connection
with synthetic rubber. He said a
consent decree entered into by
Standard and the Justice Depart
ment did not release these processes
for general use, adding that they
might be more vital to the war effort,
even that the approved patents
which had been released.
Chairman Bone asserted that
mobilization of manpower not only
invites but makes imperative q
mobilization of our dollars and every
form of property right under the
American flag"
Among the property rights that
are being defended by our armed
forces" Senator Bone said, "are the
monopoly rights under our patent
system. That these should be made
available to this Government in its
hour Of peril, and be made available
in manner which will not in the
slightest degree hinder, delay or i'm
pede the war effort or add unduly
to the cost of the war effort, seems
too clear for cavil or dispute"
Standard Oil 'victory" Seen.
Senator La Toilette, hitting at
the Standard patent arrangements,
said:
ut seems to me that the Stand
ard Oil consent decree Is a real
victory for the Standard Oil Co.
The record shows that I. G. Farben
selected Standard Oil to handle its
patents in case of war. All the
consent decree does is to guarantee
that Standard Oil will hold those
patents for I. G.. Farben, with an
(See PATENTS, Page A-50
Risking Ire of Army,