September 1, 1916.

THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN.

409

The Report of the Committee of
Scientific the Privy Council for Scientific and
and Industrial Research for the year
Industrial 1915-16 has just been published as
Research, a Parliamentary White Paper. It
is a document of much interest as
being the first annual report of the Advisory Council
constituted last year for the threefold purpose of insti-
tuting scientific researches, establishing or developing
institutions for the scientific study of industrial
problems, and for the institution of research student-
ships and fellowships. This new departure of the State
has necessitated careful consideration of many ques-
tions forthepurpose of determining the most promising
lines along which its activities should be developed.
It is pointed out that the Government had already
embarked upon an organised scheme for the scientific
support of our trades and industries as early as the
year 1900, when the National Physical Laboratory
was established with the assistance of a Treasury
grant. When this institution was opened by King
Edward two years later he declared its object to be
to bring scientific knowledge to bear practically upon
our everyday industrial and commercial life. It is
admitted that the grant, both for equipment and
maintenance, was altogether inadequate and compares
somewhat miserably with the annual subvention of
£100,000 given by the United States Government to
the American Bureau of Standards, but it was a
beginning in the right direction, and was followed by
further contributions from the Exchequer to such
bodies as the Engineering Standards Committee,
initiated by the Institution of Civil Engineers, the
Imperial Institute, and more recently the Imperial
College of Science and Technology.

It is intended that the Advisory Council should
form a permanent organisation for the promotion of
industrial and scientific research, not only in the
above-mentioned directions but throughout the whole
kingdom It is proposed through this instrumentality
to organise the weapons of industry just as the
Government have already organised the weapons of
warfare. The programme is ambitious, but never-
theless feasible, and promises excellent results. The
problem has been approached in a careful manner.
It was at once realised that a great deal of inertia has
to be overcome. There are still many business men
who fail to appreciate the advantages of science for the
purposes of making money. They have little interest
in researches which do not yield a quick return, and
with pure science many of our manufacturers have
but little sympathy. For this reason the Advisory
Council has adopted a wise course in attacking first
purely industrial problems the practical bearing of
which can be appreciated by all. There are many
such problems awaiting investigation ; some of them
have already engaged the attention of research
students, but their efforts have been frustrated by
lack of funds for their prosecution. These derelict
investigations will now be capable of resuscitation,
and this alone serves to illustrate one of the functions
of the Privy Council Committee.

The Advisory Council have realised the difficulties
to be overcome in drawing up a register of researches
already in progress. There is still a great deal of
secretiveness amongst firms in regard to the industrial
problems they have in hand. It is natural that in
some cases firms will be unwilling to disclose the
results of their investigations, even in confidence.
But this policy is, we think, short-sighted. If we are
to hope for a full measure of commercial success, such
as was undoubtedly achieved by our chief enemy
before the war, there must be complete co-operation
amongst our manufacturers, whose experience, at
whatever cost it may have been acquired, must be
available for the common good if we are to avoid much
overlapping and waste of effort. It will possibly take
some time to overcome existing prejudices in this
respect, but the establishment of trade associations
will go far to convince our manufacturers of the
superiority of combined over individual effort, parti-
cularly when the former has the powerful aid of the
State to support it. As the Advisory Council say,
“co-operation is not the negation of individual effort;
it raises initiative to a higher power.”

Another prejudice which has to be overcome is the

too prevalent view that theory and practice are
opposing factors. This feeling is still deeply rooted
in the average business mind, and it will probably
take a generation to eradicate its effects. In the end,
however, it will be clearly seen, as this report shows,
that sound practice is only theory tempered by
compromise.

This brings us to another point which the Advisory
Council has reached, viz., the relative value of research
in pure and applied science respectively. It is not
intended by any means to ignore the claims of pure
science, which, however, are temporarily relegated to
the background, pending the return of peace.
Apparently, this course has not been adopted without
some misgiving, owing to the obvious danger of
attaching too much importance to technical problems
in our academic institutions. If our educational
establishments were induced to abandon researches in
pure science for the purpose of solving purely
technical problems it would be a great national loss.
This result is obvious when we reflect that it is
precisely owing to limitations in theoretical know-
ledge that many practical difficulties cannot be
overcome. The Council is fully aware of the necessity
of convincing British manufacturers that scientific
research is a paying proposition. To this end the
example of the United States is quoted. In that
country the same difficulties were at first encountered.
It was some time before the universities could
convince the American farmer that science is useful
to agriculture. So it was with the manufacturers,
but latterly their attitude has changed, and the
larger American undertakings are now setting up
research laboratories in continually increasing
numbers, to their mutual advantage in competitive
trade. We are glad to see that this example, set by
the United States, is to be more fully set forth in the
series of pamphlets shortly to be published by the
Advisory Council under the title of “ Science and
Industry.” This is an excellent notion, and it proves
that the Council is fully alive to the pressing need for
many British firms to alter their present attitude
towards this question. We cannot do full justice to
this report in the space at our disposal; it covers so
much ground and offers so much food for thought
that we must be content with impressing upon our
business men the importance of studying it in detail.
Many of our leading industries, especially those
concerned with coal, iron and steel, engineering and
shipbuilding, need research on a scale which can only
be rendered effective by complete financial and
intellectual co-operation. It is to this end that the
Advisory Council is in the first place directing its
labours. It is for our manufacturers to supplement
these efforts in order to achieve a full measure of
success. Verbum sat sapienti.

The discussion on the subject of
British British patents at the recent meeting
Patent Law. of the Society of Chemical Industry
at Edinburgh was somewhat disap-
pointing, inasmuch as no clear-cut policy was
formulated, and there was no unanimity of opinion
respecting many of the points that were raised. Mr.
J. W. Gordon submitted a case for a complete
revision of our patent laws, his main contention
being that a proper control of the jurisdiction to
grant injunctions would in itself solve many of the
existing difficulties and lead to a simplification of
many of the enactments now in force. In his view
the chief mischief of the present system is due to the
indiscriminate granting of injunctions, without
any regard to the public interests involved. It
is probably true, as Mr. Gordon maintains, that the
patent grant might be considerably simplified. He
would reduce it to the conferment on the patentee of
a qualified monopoly, by which he means an
unqualified right to grant licences, but only in
exceptional cases the right to restrain by an injunc-
tion. This means, in effect, the system of compulsory
licence.

It is not by any means an " easy matter to hold the
balance evenly between the public advantage and
the patentee’s rights. Presumably a great deal will
depend upon the subject of the patent. The Society
of Chemical Industry probably had in view mainly

the question of chemical patents, upon which many
great industries have been built up. One of the
difficulties, however, to be contended with is that
many of these patents are but links in the chain of
progress, and in themselves possess but little value
either to the public at large or to the patent owner.
But any one of these may nevertheless possess the
germ of a great discovery, and it would seem only
just to the initial patentee that he should participate
in the final triumph of his invention. This is
especially applicable to chemical patents. It is
maintained that Germany has derived undue advan-
tage from our patent laws by obtaining protection
under false pretences and incomplete exposure. It
is not difficult to draw up a chemical specification
which, while purporting to lay out a complete
process of manufacture, in fact keeps back an
essential part of the method, rendering it unworkable
in practice. Such defects can often only be discovered
when an effort is made to work the process. Thus
even a licensee may be in the hands of the patentee
as regards the supply of some intermediate materials.
The result is that, in such cases, the patentee obtains
the protection of our laws, and the right to injunctions
against infringement, while retaining at the same
time the advantage of what is virtually a secret
process.

An interesting part of the discussion was that
concerning the compulsory working obligation which
Mr. Lloyd George copied from the Continental code
and incorporated in the Act of 1907. There was
much difference of opinion as to the practical result
of this clause. It was contended that this provision
has been nullified by a decision, in the law courts, of
Mr. Justice Parker, which throws the burden of
proof of non-working upon the applicant instead of
upon the patentee; while others maintained that
compulsory working, although apparently simple,
is in fact too intricate to be practicable. Upon the
whole, there was considerable doubt whether this
clause, from which so much was expected, has really
been of any great advantage to the country.

On the whole, it appears that the most desirable
reform in our patent law would be in the direction
of simplification of legal procedure, or rather in the
abolition of a great deal of it altogether. One of the
chief privileges at present enjoyed by a patentee is
the right of suing for an injunction. He has no
other kind of protection, and the money he has paid
for this privilege may be wholly wasted, in case of
infringement, unless the patentee is in a position to
incur unknown liabilities in the way of law costs.
All this could be avoided by making the Comptroller
responsible for the protection he has granted.
Unscrupulous persons would hestitate before
engaging in a legal contest with a Government
department, whereas private persons can be attacked
with less compunction. A good constructive policy
in regard to patent law reform is still lacking.

Genoa Coal Market.—Scarcely any business is being trans-
acted in consequence of uncertainty as to official arrange-
ments. The Government proposes to take over the distri-
buting arrangements. Some offers of Cardiff seconds at 108s.
to 110s. c.i.f. are made, and anthracite is quoted 100s. c.i.f.
Other quotations include best Hamilton splints (afloat), 103s.
to 105s.; ells, 100s.; foundry coke, 130s., all c.i.f.

Italy’s Coal Supplies.—Important conferences took place in
London on Thursday in regard to the supplies of coal to
Italy and French Mediterranean ports, a question which Mr.
Bunciman discussed with the Italian Government on the
occasion of his recent visit to Italy. The Mining Associa-
tion of Great Britain held a preliminary meeting at the
Hotel Cecil, and later were received in conference at the
Board of Trade by Mr. C. Hipwood, assistant secretary to
the marine department. The coal owners had previously
agreed in principle to limiting the price of coal to Italy and
other Mediterranean ports on a basis similar to that arrived
at in regard to France. They, however, submitted that the
ship owners, on the other hand, should consent to some varia-
tion in the scale of freight charges. Among those present
were Lord Rhondda, ZMr. Adam Nimino (chairman of the
Mining Association), Sir Thos. R. Ratcliffe-Ellis (secretary),
Mr. Ridley Warham, Mr. George Angers and Mr. Irwin
(Northumberland Coal Owners’ Association), Messrs. J. D.
Bell and R. Guthrie (Durham Coal Owners’ Association),
and Messrs. W. H. Mewton (chairman of the South Wales
Coal Owners’ Association), Finlay Gibson (secretary), T. J.
Callaghan (Cardiff), R. E. Cleeves (Swansea), and T. H.
Deakm (Newport, Mon.). The views of the coal owners on
the subject of freights and export were discussed with Mr.
Hipwood in detail at some length, and after an adjournment
for luncheon, the conference was resumed at the Board of
Trade. The conference proceedings lasted well into the
evening. At the close, the Press Association was informed
that, so far as the coal owners and shippers were concerned,
matters had been practically adjusted, and that a final
settlement with the exporters would complete the whole
scheme for ensuring constant supplies of coal to Italy.