148 SECTIONAL ADDRESSES 



and influence to produce the desired effect. I hope that this Section 

 will urge the Council to take steps to bring about a reform that is so long 

 overdue. 



In France, thanks largely to Napoleon's short way with legal privilege, 

 the case given above, with an appeal, cost less than one- tenth of the hearing 

 in the English courts. There, to the best of my recollection, the system 

 is as follows. The courts sits to determine if there is a case. Having 

 decided in the affirmative, three technical experts are appointed, one by 

 each litigant and one by the judge. These three have access to all 

 apparatus, experiments and documents. Each presents an independent 

 report to the judge, and on these the issue is decided. 



As a further example of these ills, I remember an opinion being sought 

 upon a point of patent law. The barrister did not answer for three weeks 

 and the matter became urgent. A director of the firm who had sent the 

 inquiry, met the barrister by chance near Lincoln's Inn and reminded him 

 of the case. Counsel said ' Let's see ; what was it about ? Have you 

 the papers here ? ' The director produced a copy of the letter. The 

 man of law, standing on the pavement, scanned the document hastily and 

 said ' I should say " No," ' and hurried away. Next week the firm 

 received a bill for forty guineas for this ' opinion.' No legal redress 

 seemed possible ; for the directors were told by their solicitor that if 

 they refused payment, no barrister would in future act for them. 



But it is. not only in the law-courts that invention is penalised. In 

 Government Departments and in some large firms the decision to adopt. or 

 to reject a new idea (as well as the reward to the inventor) is too often in 

 the hands of men whose opinion on the subject is worth nothing : financiers, 

 accountants, lawyers and men with no scientific training. Many firms 

 expect all new ideas to emanate from their own staff. If advised by their 

 technical men to take up a particular invention, they will almost invariably 

 reply ' Can't you get round it ? ' — which is an incitement to dishonesty 

 difficult to withstand, but made easier to accomplish by the legal system 

 already described. As an example of Government Departments, the 

 Board of Admiralty at once comes to mind. This body has many 

 technical matters to decide ; yet it is entirely composed of admirals and ' 

 politicians, an arrangement which, at the time that Board was formed, was 

 no doubt sound ; but is it not now an anachronism ? 



Attitude of the Engineer towards the Nation. 



Having thus roughly observed the attitude of the nation towards the 

 engineer, we may cross the road and look at the matter from the other side. 

 Here I know that I am on difficult ground ; for the engineering depart- 

 ments of universities are much beholden to their colleagues in industry 

 and gratefully acknowledge the many courtesies and great help which they 

 receive so often. At the same time, I know my professional brethren too 

 well to think that they will resent comments born of experience, especially 

 when my sole object is to obtain for the engineer that recognition of which 

 he is at present deprived. The question at issue is that of professional 



