would be so framed as to make the expense of the Office come within its current earnings.

Preliminary to the election President Coulston announced that although he was deeply sensible of the compliment implied in his renomination he could_not_consider standing for reelection to the Office of President of the Society because of the heavier official duties he had assumed during the past year.

In reviewing the Society's activities during the year, he particularly emphasized the large part of the Journal has taken in furthering the objects of the Society and said that it was most gratifying to report that it continued to grow in circulation and influence and was upon a sound financial basis.

Mr. W. F. Avery presented his report as Treasurer, showing receipts during the year of $4265.35, making the total funds handled by the Treasurer $4978.32. The balance on hand amounted to $1320.36.

As a result of the election the following officers were chosen to direct the Society during the present year:

President, Sidney F. Smith; Vice President, W. L. Thurber; Secretary, R. E. Adams; Treasurer, F. W. Dahn; Executive Committee, W. F. Avery, M. H. Coulston, E. S. Glascock, W. B. Magruder, C. H. Pierce, W. J. Wesseler, M. L. Whitney, W. I. Wyman.

Upon taking the chair, President-elect Smith referred to President Coulston's splendid record of achievement as the executive head of the Society, and expressed regret that he could not have been impressed for further service. He mentioned his own special interest in the work of the Society and asked for the support of the membership to the end that he might continue all the activities of the Society and keep it in the forefront.

It had been predicted by experts, he stated, that there would be a one hundred per cent increase in the industrial efficiency of the country. With it there must necessarily come a tremendous addition to the work of the Patent Office, and this afforded the Society an opportunity to seek to make the Office of increasing service to the country, and to promote a spirit of good-will between all those engaged in this special field of work.

THE SALE OF COPIES OF PATENTS.

BY WM. I. WYMAN,

Chief Clerk, Patent Office.

Of all the problems that press upon the Patent Office for solution, the one that it is most difficult to solve, that arouses most vexation and gives the most concern, is the ever insistent patent copies situation. The situation is not merely serious-it reached that stage long ago-it has become critical and inimical to property interests. The public rightly concerned can not understand why such an essentially elemental procedure as printing, storing, and delivering such extremely simple things as copies of patents can not be effected accurately and expeditiously. It is inexplicable to them that there should be a delay of from many days to several months (according to the size and class of order) in the execution of their requests; that there should be so many copies declared "exhausted", and that several months' time should elapse before reprints can be delivered.

The writer has for many years been interested academically in this particular phase of office administration, and, upon assuming his present position, found that there was plenteous opportunity for exercising that interest. The problem was there awaiting to be tackled, large and looming, exasperating and perplexing. A voluminous correspondence, in vigorous and terse language, on one side, and in more dulcet and expository phraseology on the other, resulted from the situation. Other and embarassing developments arose therefrom and the Commissioner did not fail to impress upon the new candidate for administrative burdens where his interests

should be mainly directed. In obedience to that instruction and to the vital necessity for action, special study has been made of this condition, and the following is offered as a result of such study, as an explanation of that situation, and as an outline of a contemplated mode of action to remedy the same.

Patent copies are stored in four of the six levels into which the Office is vertically divided; basement, first floor, balconies and galleries. The balconies in the F, 9th and G Street wings (south, west and north halls) communicate with each other, but there is no direct connection between the galleries. There are no patents stored in the 7th street wing. In the basement, patents are placed in wall cases in the public corridor, in three connecting rooms adjacent thereto, in a large room off the G street tunnel, and in a room under the 9th street steps. On the first floor the patent copies are all stored in wall cases along the public corridors. The remaining patents are placed in the balconies and galleries of what are called the north, west and south halls, and comprise about 60% of the total stored.

The copies are arranged in three different ways; retail, individual and gross. In the first, groups of ten consecutive numbers, several copies to a number, are placed loosely in horizontal pigeon holes; in the second, groups of 50 or less of the same serial number are placed loosely in horizontal pigeon holes, each group having its own individual receptacle; and in the third mode, like groups of copies of the same serial number are bound in muslin wrappers and placed side-by-side, vertically upon open shelves. The "retail" method of storing was discarded for active "pulling" some time ago, and is used only when copies are found "exhausted" in the "individual" and "gross" groups. The "individual" grouping is confined to a comparatively few thousand numbers and this method was suspended for the same reason that the "retail" was, as both modes