H.-10

1906. NEW ZEALAND.

PATENTS, DESIGNS, AND TRADE MARKS: SEVENTEENTH ANNUAL REPORT OF THE REGISTRAR.

Presented to both Houses of the General Assembly pursuant to Section 128 of " The Patents, Designs, and Trade Ma,rks Act, 1889."

In pursuance of section 128 of " The Patents, Designs, and Trade Marks Act, 1889," I have the honour to submit ray report on the operations of the Patent Office for the year 1905. The increase in the number of applications is again very marked, the total number received beinggreater than in any previous year. The amount paid in fees was £4,970 2s. 6d. This is the largest amount received in any one year, except in 1903, when, as I have pointed out in previous reports, the payment of several fees due only at long intervals considerably increased the ordinary revenue. The following figures show the number of applications and revenue for the last two years : — Number of Amount of Fees. Year. Applications. £ s. d. 1904 .. .. .. .. .. .. 2,099 4,642 19 6 1905 .. .. .. .. .. .. 2,262 4,970 2 6 Increase .. .. .. .. .. 163 £327 3 0 (or 7-7 per cent.) (or 7-04 per cent.) The progress of the office is well illustrated by the following figures for five-yearly periods since 1891 :— Number of Increase Amount of Fees. Increase Year. Applications. Per Cent. £ s. d. Per Cent. 1891-95 .. .. 4,877 .. ' 10,382 8 0 1896-1900 .. .. 6,843 40-3 15,089 18 3 45-1 1901-5 .. .. 9,820 43-5 22,269 0 2 47-5 The expenditure amounted to £2,297 9s. Bd., being £521 11s. 9d. more than in 1904. This increase is chiefly accounted for by the additional cost of the printing of the Patent Supplement to the Gazette, which, according to the figures supplied by the Government Printing Office, amounted to £275 more than in the previous year, and by the sum of £245 charged for binding all the back specifications and drawings in the office in connection with the classification of the records mentioned in my last report. The increase in the number and salaries of the staff since 1890, when the present Act came into force, is as follows : —

The business of the office, owing to searching and other work undertaken by it,- has increased considerably more than th.3 above figures indicate, and it is only by the adoption of improved methods and by working to its utmost capacity, not infrequently beyond the prescribed hours, that the comparatively small staff is able to successfully cope with its duties. The full significance of these figures is apparent when compared with those of other countries where the practice is similar. In the Imperial Patent Office there is 1 official to 142 applications, or, excluding the examining staff, Ito 222; in the office of the Australian Commonwealth 1 to 88, or, excluding examining staff, Ito 103. In the New Zealand Patent Office the rate is Ito 452. * Does not include messenger, and librarian, and office-cleaner, as duties performed by them were not charged to the office in 1890. Cost of clerical assistance is also not included, as it was almost wholly utilised for reclassification of records and other work outside ordinary duties of office.

i—H 10.

Year. Number of Applications. Revenue. Number of Staff. Salaries. 1890 1905 779 2,262 £ F. ri. 1,914 13 10 4,970 2 6 2 4* £ 380 730 Increase (per cent.) I 190-3 159-6 100* 92-1