so favourable as those offered by their German and American rivals. This feature is largely accounted for by the British methods of representation referred to above. Where branch houses are established, their terms naturally conform to local trade customs. Closely connected with the question of terms is the plan of accepting shares in part payment for goods supplied. This has been done to a large extent by German manufacturers, who are backed up in these ventures by their banks. Not many years ago, an order for the machinery for a very large undertaking in a British colony was placed with a German firm on this basis; and many similar examples could be brought forward.

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Competition of this nature is hardly likely to crop up any of the 'entente' countries or their colonies after the war, but our merchants and manufacturers will certainly meet with it in China, South America and other valuable neutral markets. Almost all new business ventures suffer from lack of capital; consequently a firm that is ready to accept payment or part-payment in shares for the goods or machinery which it supplies has a strong pull over a rival who insists on receiving cash. Existing banks do not seem to be capable of giving financial support to their clients for business of this nature; hence either special institutions or a Government department must be established to cope with this difficulty. In this country, lack of financial support causes the abandonment of many promising schemes, which, if carried out, would add to the prosperity of the nation.

Unless our manufacturers are enabled to exploit foreign trade on the lines pursued by German firms, we shall not maintain our position in the world's markets. In fact German methods must even be improved upon. It is encouraging to note that several British associations of traders are now endeavouring to capture trade in China and Siberia with ample financial support and on the most up-to-date lines. These enterprises are certain to be successful; and their success should lead to a much wider application of cooperative principles in regard to foreign business.

Designs, Inventions and Discoveries.-The design of any article or machine is of the utmost importance, if it is to be made cheaply enough to compete successfully

with foreign goods, while remaining equally attractive to the purchaser and user. Few people realise the amount of thought which is given to the designs of even the simplest articles. Domestic appliances, for instance, are still being improved, although their form has been the subject of careful thought for a great many years. Probably the nearest approach to perfection in design is the ordinary bicycle, which combines the lowest possible cost with the lightest and most convenient form for the work it has to do. Every detail, down to the smallest screw, has been carefully considered and experimented with in order to obtain the least amount of weight with the necessary strength. Such perfection can only be achieved after many years of practical use; and the few slight improvements now being made involve an enormous amount of thought and trouble.

The designs of goods for the home market are now much more carefully thought out by British firms than was the case a few years ago. At the same time, the large quantities of German and American products sold in this country prove that the British manufacturer has not yet been able to meet even home requirements with complete success. This failure is even more pronounced in connexion with the machines and appliances we export to foreign countries and our own colonies, which seldom accord exactly with local demands. In this direction both the Americans and the Germans are ahead of us. Foreign and colonial customers freely admit that British goods have lasting qualities which are not found in those of foreign origin, but in many cases they prefer lowerpriced articles and appliances of less substantial design, even if they wear out more quickly. Our most go-ahead manufacturers are now fully alive to the importance of this matter, and have taken steps to supply their foreign customers with what they want. Owing, however, to the lack of industrial cooperation in this country, such practice is only making slow progress and at present is limited to a small number of firms.

With regard to Inventions and Discoveries, the present war has shown us in no uncertain manner how dependent we are upon inventors for weapons wherewith to fight our enemies; and, although 'cold steel' still counts for much in land fighting, it would be useless without guns,

rifles and other appliances which embody a vast amount of inventive skill. Moreover, if one side can devise more effective weapons than the other, this advantage may be sufficient to ensure victory. The celebrated French 75 millimetre field-gun, for example, has played a leading part in the successes of our allies. In a rapidly advancing science like that of aviation, it is evident that inventiveness is of the utmost advantage; and a brilliant invention may easily give one side or the other complete supremacy in the air. Inventions, again, are of the very essence of that most complicated machine, the modern warship; and without inventors we should be following other nations in naval matters instead of leading them. The value of the inventor in peace times is not so apparent; yet, in the commercial struggle which must inevitably follow the present contest, his constructive skill will be as important as his ability in devising ' engines of destruction' for actual warfare.

The inventor being so valuable to the country, it might be supposed that he would be given every possible encouragement, and that the procedure for protecting his ideas-in other words, for taking out a patent-would be simple, reliable and cheap. This is by no means the case, inventors being looked upon with suspicion, while protection is complex, uncertain and costly. We are not considering here the professional inventor, who makes a living from patents in spite of these drawbacks, and is quite able to look after himself. Nor, again, need we consider the rich man with ideas, who can afford to employ a good patent agent, and to whom, if his devices turn out to be valueless, the money wasted is of no serious consequence. Unfortunately good ideas more often occur to poor men than to rich, but, owing to the high cost of protection and the difficulty of obtaining it, thousands of useful inventions are lost to the nation.

We may admit that the attitude of manufacturers towards independent inventors has become more favourable of late years; and the most go-ahead firms are now willing seriously to consider new appliances connected with their products or manufacturing processes. The vast majority, however, either refuse to entertain new ideas from outside sources or decline such proposals without making a full investigation. As regards employers

and their employees, the accepted theory in most cases is that all inventions by workmen or members of the office staff belong to the firm; and many employers even compel their technical staffs to sign agreements to this effect. Naturally, men whose duties often necessitate late hours are hardly likely to go outside of them in the way of devising new appliances for which no remuneration can be expected. Some enlightened firms, however, encourage the inventive faculties of their employees by offering rewards for inventions in the form of immediate monetary payments, or of royalties if the suggested devices are worthy of being patented. The main objection to this system is that the suggestions are judged and the rewards fixed by officials of the firm, who are naturally suspected of partiality. At the same time many good inventions have been produced by this plan, which is a vast improvement on that in common use.

What is really wanted for the workman-inventor is temporary protection at a very low charge, together with free expert advice and assistance. In other words, any man with a useful idea should be able to apply to a patent official in the nearest town, who would assist him in taking the necessary steps to secure protection and in making a search for anticipations. This official should also be empowered to advise inventors as to whether their inventions are worth proceeding with. It is not suggested that he should offer an opinion where any doubt exists as to the value of the invention; but, in hundreds or even thousands of cases, experienced officials would be able to show in a few minutes that the devices submitted were well known, anticipated by previous patentees, or unworkable owing to physical or financial considerations. A large proportion of inventions would be abandoned on the strength of such advice, thereby vastly reducing the amount of work to be handled by the Patent Office. It should, however, be allowable for an inventor to proceed, even against the advice of the Patent Office official; and in such a case he should still be given every possible assistance. This procedure would place the workman-inventor in an independent position, instead of having to accept any remuneration his employers choose to offer.

Under the existing patent laws, temporary or 'provisional' protection, as it is called, costs far too much and does not last long enough to give the poor inventor a fair chance of success. Moreover, the drafting of the application is a difficult matter for those who are more accustomed to work with their hands than their heads; and no assistance is obtainable excepting from patent agents who require payment for their services. Further, the patent records should either be kept in many more towns than is now the case, or they should be lent to inventors who are not within easy reach of them. The charge for provisional protection might well be reduced from one pound to five shillings; and the period should be extended from six to twelve months. An official search for anticipations should also be made, free of charge, on receipt of the provisional application. This plan, with certain minor alterations in the laws, would render all inventions saleable in the provisional stage; consequently the poor inventor would be able to test the value of his invention by offering it to likely manufacturers. Under the existing laws, until a complete patent has been taken out, involving much delay and heavy fees together with costly professional services, the inventor has little chance of obtaining financial assistance.

It may be objected that such facilities would entail an enormous amount of extra work and expense for the Patent Office. This will no doubt be the case, but the cost would be almost negligible compared with the advantage to the nation of cultivating the inventive ability of its citizens. To counterbalance the cost to some extent, successful patents might be taxed in the form of percentages on the sale price of each article. This is done in the case of patent medicines, and should not be impracticable with other inventions. Charges of this nature would not come on the patentee at all until he began to make money out of his invention; and in all probability the returns would be large enough to cover the cost of the extra work entailed by reducing the initial fees and assisting the inventor. In any case, the question whether the Patent Office pays its way or not is of no consequence so long as the inventive ability of the nation has free scope. No doubt, the alterations in