422 SCIENCE PROGRESS 



chemist to every fifty workmen, whilst in Great Britain the ratio 

 is certainly not higher than i : 500. 



(2) As regards the German use or misuse of the British Patent 

 Laws the subject is far too large for full discussion in this place. 

 It will suffice to mention, however, that the German firms have 

 taken full advantage of the laxity of the British Patent Laws 

 by filing numberless blocking patents to prevent competition, 

 and even of dummy patents never intended to be worked, but 

 deliberately calculated to mislead competitors. 



The following table demonstrates the activity in this branch 

 since 1865 ; it gives also an indication of the volume of original 

 work produced by the German firms. (Since no official figures 

 are issued by the Patent Office, the following table has been 

 compiled from the official specification abridgment lists and 

 may be taken as substantially accurate.) 



Table giving Number of Patents taken out in Great Britain by 

 British and German Individuals or Firms for Synthetic 

 Dyes and Intermediate Products. (In five-year periods.) 



Period. German. British. 



1856-60 8 20 



1860-65 21 54 



1866-70 17 23 



1871-75 8 II 



1876-80 47 13 



1881-85 113 15 



1886-90 20I 39 



1891-95 3 86 2 9 



1896-1900 427 52 



1901-05 447 38 



1906-10 561 30 



(1911-12 252 11) 



Further comment is needless. 



