Evening star., 1946-08-25
Patent Office Society
Opposes Shifting Of
Unit 10 GraveIIy Point

The Patent Office Society, COM
posed of patent examiners, believes
the removal of the divisions of the
office now in Richmond, Va, to
Temporary Building No. at GRAY
ely Point will not be an adequate
solution of the problems the Office
faces. The society is continuing to
urge the consolidation of all Patent
Office units in the Commerce Build
ing.
The society has pointed out that
the splitting of the Patent Office
between Washington and Richmond
has resulted in large backlog of
pending patent applications, con-
dition which businessmen and
patent attorneys say has been
stumbling block in reconversion.
Instead of returning the units in
Richmond to the Commerce Build
ing. Secretary of Commerce Wal
lace announced on August is that
space had been allotted in the
temporary building at the WASH
ington National Airport at Gravelly
Point.
Kalk Issues Statement.
. Clarence A. Kalk. president of the
Patent Office Society, in a state
ment published in the society's
journal and addressed to the readers
of the nuhlication said.
The transfer of the Richmond
units to Gravelly Point is regarded
as temporary in character and as
soon as space is available in the
Commerce Building it is anticipated
that all units will be consolidated
in the quarters formerly occupied
by the Office.
While this temporary arrange
ment will remove some of the OBJ
stacles to the orderly functioning
of the Office, many of our problems
will not be solved until the organi-
zation is again housed in a single
building. The efforts of the society,
with your aid, will continue to be
directed to this end"
Committee Is Critical.
A special committee of the Pat
ent Office Society said the move
does not consolidate the Patent
Office in Washington as the society
advocated. An examining force
which should be intergrated still
would be divided. the committee
said. continuing:
The bringing Of the Richmond
divisions within 3l2 miles of the
Washington divisions will alleviate
to an extent the difficulties by short
ening the communication distance
only. 1t is not units of the Patent
Office that are separated but parts
of an integrated unit that are sep
erated, inasmuCh as immediate ref
erence and consulta ton between
divisions is involved in applications
for patents.
Similarly, all divisions must have
convenient and frequent access to
the office library facilities. " Also
the additional move required for
eventual consolidation in the Com
merce Building will cause further
interruption to production and add
to the backlog Of cases already pend
ing before the office"
Truman Is Sent Protest.
Charles M. Palmer, New York
patent attorney who also has an
Office in Washington, in telegram
to President Truman protested
against the removal of the Rich
mond units to Gravelly Point as
!"most impractical, inadvisable and
ursound"
Mr.. Palmer earlier had sent a tele-
gram to the President urging return
of the Richmond divisions to Wash
ington, and he sent the President a
second message after the Gravelly
Point plan was announced.
The Patent Office quarters in the
Commerce Building were especially
designed to meet the highly special
lied needs Of the Office, he said. add
ing:
The Richmond Patent Office unit
should be restored to its old quarters
in the Commerce Building at Wash
ington where it belongs and as
promised by the Secretary of Com
merce time and time again. This
should be done promptly and ex-
peditiously to promote business eff
cheney, economy and for the gen.
eral welfare.
The Maritime Commission and
other governmental departments
should be shifted to the National
Airport. but please restore the Rich
mond Patent Office unit to its old
quarters in the Commerce Building"
The Maritime Commission is the
chief non Commerce Department
agency occupying space in the Com
merce Building.