lxviii eepobt — 1879. 



he refrained from taking out those patents. Many cases of great hardship have- 

 heen inflicted by virtue of this Section 25 of the Act of 1852, and harm to the 

 public has resulted therefrom. The Committee trust that the framers of the 

 present Bill, who are obviously desirous of introducing a measure conceived in the 

 interest of the community at large, will not hesitate to get rid of this Section 24. 

 The Committee have embodied their views on this subject in the following re- 

 solution : — 



Kesolved unanimously, — " That the Committee advise that Clause 24 should 

 be struck out, as they are of opinion that it would be desirable to deal with 

 foreign inventions upon the same terms as English inventions ; and they are 

 further of opinion that the duration of an- English patent should not be 

 affected by the determination of any foreign patent." 



Another detail in the Bill to which the Committee desire to call attention, is 

 a provision in Clause 46 by which one Commissioner may be empowered to act for 

 the whole body. This appears to the Committee to be very inexpedient, and they 

 would be glad to see this clause altered to the form which it has as Clause 55 in 

 the Government Bill of 1877. The resolution of the Committee on this point was 

 as follows : — 



Resolved unanimously — " That the Committee are of opinion that paragraph 

 46 ought to be left the same as 55 of the Bill of 1877." 



Clause 47. — With regard to the proposed reduction of the first cost of the 

 patent from 25/. to 12/. 10s., the Committee entirely concur with it, and they be- 

 lieve that the payment of 50/. at the expiration, not of three years, but as has 

 already been mentioned, of four years, is a useful provision for getting rid of value- 

 less patents. The other payments they also concur in, but with the modification in 

 point of date which has been already mentioned. 



Finally, the Committee respectfully suggest to the Council of the British Asso- 

 ciation that they should appoint a deputation from the Council, with such other 

 members of the Association as the Council may select, to wait upon the Govern- 

 ment to urge the passing of the Bill this session, with such amendments in detail 

 as, on consideration of the report of your Committee, the ' preparers ' may see fit 

 to adopt. 



For the Committee— 



WILLIAM SIEMENS, Chairman. 

 F. J. BRAMWELL, Secretary. 



