NEWS AND NOTES.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1556, 27 September 1912, Page 8

NEWS AND NOTES.

THE PATENT OFFICE. ■ SOME PROJECTED IMPROVEMENTS. Mr. T. K. Sidey, in a' lengthy question addressed to the Hon. A. L. Herdman, | on Wednesday, suggested various.improvei raents. in the w-orking of the Patent Office, and asked whether the Government con- . sidered that the. Registrar of Patents with his heavy and responsible duties, was sufficiently paid with a salary of i£4so a year. Mr. Herdman , replied: . It has been noted that , the revenue of the Patent Office is considerably in excess of the expenditure, and the recommendations in the Registrar's report are receiving, consideration with the view to making further provision for . examination • and the publication of inventions'. .While tho importance of printing specifications is fully recognised it is not considered that the demand for copies is yet sufficient to warrant the work being undertaken, but abridgments are published and manuscript copies furnished at a low price.. A thorough examination into novelty similar to that undertaken by 1 Germany is .no : doubt desirable, but. this , would be very costly and beyond the resources of this ; country for some time to come. The i proposal to inscribe on letters patent the ; fact that the Government doe's not guar- ! antee their validity will receive favourable consideration'. It .is recognised, that I tho Registrar is a very capable and effi- : cient officer, and the question of his [ salary will also bo taken into consideraj tion. J POLICE PROMOTIONS. / > Mr. Payne asked the Minister foT # Jus- < tice on Wednesday whether it was his in- » to compiilsOrily retire those mem- • bers of the Police Forco who had com- ! pleted 40 years' service _so .th.it junior > officers .might; get promotion. 1 The Minister directed attention .to the | Police Regulations which provided that 1 members qf the Police. Force should re- " tire on attaining the full age of sixty-five years. Thero was no regulation requiring J compulsory retirement on completing 40 ' yeais' sers-iie, although, men had : the.i J the right to retire if they so desired. IN~IBRI,EF. ' Sir Arthur Guinness intimated on. Wed- ' riesday that lie would-move for a return 5 showi'hg' the total amount. spent in cop- " structmg the. Midland Railway—(l) froiu 1 Brunnerton to the Otira Tunnel; (2) from r Sprinzfield to the Otira; (3) the Otira 1 Tunnel. Such return also to show the 3 value of land grants given to the Midland Railway Con*nany for constructing ' ions of th« above sections of railP way ' '