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WHAT A PATENT OFFICE
FIRE WOULD DO
By H. S. EDGAR
T H E patent office is so profitable
a part of the Federal governmental
machinery that Congress
has not tampered with
it for a long time. Any
branch of the public service that declares
annual dividends of eight million dollars
is entitled to be let alone, one would
think. The odd part of all this though,
is that despite this impressive showing it
is one of the departments of public service
that is not only entitled to but actually
demands a very thorough overhauling.
The reason may be stated in a nut shell.
If the patent office should
burn tonight one would
be surprised how suddenly
the cost of living
would take an upward
trend. Oh, it's going up
anyway, we'll all admit,
only the curve in the graph of
statistics would indicate another
phenomenal rise.
Well admitting that for the
moment, is there actually any
danger of the patent office
burning? If you have ever
been through the patent office
you would not even think of
asking that question. As a
matter of fact you would say
to yourself: "How in the
world has it happened that
there has never been a fire
here ?" The records are stacked
away in wooden boxes under a
svstem that is about as antiquated
as our mail service before
parcel post was inaugurated.
By the careless tossing of a
match, the records of a century
ami a quarter might be lost irrevocably.
This country has gone through many
intricate and expensive steps to help the
business of the nation. Very properly
so, and the business men of the nation
are grateful for that service. In particular
the bureaus of the department of
commerce and labor have given and are
giving valuable data that are very helpful
to our commercial interests. If the business
men of the country were cognizant,
however, of the real importance of a
proper preservation of the patent records
of the nation they would not sleep so
sound of nights.
Nearly all modern
U SJ.TT, mummwr--^^' business depends for
I | |i|^^^ r^\ its very existence
upon various kinds of
machines, running all
the way from the
peanut roaster to the
batteries of engines and boilers
required for the manufacture
of most of what we eat, drink,
wear and use. Nearly every
machine now in use was first
manufactured under patent
protection. Beginning away
back in the closing half of the
eighteenth century, the rapid
introduction of various machines
for use in the cotton and
woolen industry gave that impetus
to manufacture and invention
that has prevailed ever
since. It is hard to think of an
industry that can be carried on
without complicated machines
of iron, steel, or other metals,
driven by steam, gasoline or
electricity. Industries can, of
course, be operated by man,
mule, or other animal power.
but active competition with ma-
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