Evening star., 1946-08-10
Patent Office Return
Promised by Truman
After Lawyers Appeal

H~i Lu"I~IS HpPCui
Those interested In the efficient
operation Of the Patent Office TODAY
had the promise of President Tru-
man that the divisions of the Pat
ent ONCE still in Richmond would
be brought back to Washington as
soon as possible.
Asked at his press conference yes
terday afternoon Just when the re-
turn might be accomplished, the
President indicated 1t would be
when room could be found to ac-
commodate the Richmond units in
Washington. He added that 1t is in
tended to bring back to Washington
all the regular agencies which had
been decentralized during the war
to make room for war work here.
The Presidents statement came
after the American Patent Law As
ISOLATION had added It's protests to
those of individual patent ATTORNEYS
and the Patent Office Society. an
organization of examiners, over the
continued division of the Office be-
w ''oAiAASeoii anu ftlCIlnnODQ.
Association Urges Action.
In resolution sent to President
Truman. the Secretary of Com
merce, patent and budget officials
and leaders in the Senate and
House. the association asked that
as soon as space anywhere In Wash
lngton or its vicinity Is vacated,
bureaus now occupying space for
merly occupied by the Patent Once
oe moved therefrom and the space
restored to the Patent Office,
The Public Buildings Administra-
tlon estimates that the patent divi-
slons now In Richmond would re-
quire $1,000 square feet of space.
The association pointed out that
the north end of the Commerce
Bullding was especially constructed
TO meet the peculiar requirements
OF the Patent Office. Agencies now
occupying this space are the Mari
time Commission, the Civil Aero
nautics Administration and others.
The resolution further points out
that Richmond landlords are re-
fusing to rent houses to patent ex-
aminers and selling them over their
heads after seeing public an
nouncements that the office would
be returned to Washington as soon
as possible.
Must Transi Records.
The present situation, which has
resulted in an 81 per cent rise In a
year IN the backlog of patent appli-
cations awaiting consideration,
many of them affecting reconver-
sion and employment, forces the
office to use station wagon and
two passenger cars to transfer rec
ords back and forth between the two
cities, necesSitates daily trips by ex-
aminers and "innumerable" long
distance telephone calls.
In addition to low morale and
efficiency brought on by the separa-
ton, the resolution cited the refusal
OF new examiners to take Patent
Office jobs if the work requires TEN
porary assignment to Richmond.
There is an all-time high OF
$4,000 pending patent applications,
including about 10000 applications
for design patents and trademarks,
some of which have been on file for
more than 18 months, the resolu-
ton said.
Public Buildings Commissioner
w. E. Reynolds met yesterday with
a group of patent attorneys and ex-
amlners who urged that the remain
ing Patent Office units in Richmond
be returned here as quickly as
possible.
Reynolds Promises Action.
Mr.. Reynolds assured the meeting
that he was in sympathy with their
views and that everything would be
done to bring back the units here
as quickly as possible. Among the
organizations represented at the
meeting here were the Office of
Scientific Research and Develop
ment, the American Patent Law
Association, the American Bar As
sociation, the Bureau of Inventions
of the Navy and five Patent Office
examiners in the Richmond branch.
The representatives stressed the
difficulties of processing papers and
other hindrances due to the fact that
the Patent Offices functions are
scattered in two different cities.
There are 10 other agencies, whose
offices were transferred outside of
Washington, which are slated to be
returned here. They are the Farm
Security Administration, Fish and
Wildlife Service, the Rural Electri-
fication Administration, Alien Reg
istration Division of the Justice
Department. the immigration and
Naturalization Service, National
Park Service. Office of Indian Al
fairs, the Wage and Hour Division
of the Labor Department, the Secur-
tiles and Exchange Commission and
the Old Age and Survivors Insur- /
ance Bureau of the Social Security
Board.
The Employees Compensation
Commission has been abolished and
its functions merged with the Fed !
eral Security Agency. The Railroad
Retirement Board will remain In !