Fair Play INTERVIEWS.

Fair Play, Volume I, Issue 6, 9 December 1893, Page 9

Fair Play INTERVIEWS.

“ Certainly,” replied the gentleman smilingly. “ I suppose then I had better start with one of the most important events of my life, namely, my birth which took place in London, on June 12,1833. I was educated by a private tutor, the. Reverend J. Bootes Bromyard, and afterwards received a civil engineering and architectural education at the University College, London, where I obtained certificates of. honour. On leaving College I had a practical experience in the shops, having worked in every branch of mechanical training under Mr. Coltman, of London, an engineer and well-known expert witness in patent cases. I afterwards

engaged with Mr. Scott Russell, at Millwall, during the building of the Great Eastern.

“ You were actively engaged then iu the building of that immense vessel ?’

“ Yes, and we did think she was an immense one too ; there were a great many men engaged in her construction and we were all proud to be helping in the building of the biggest ship in the world. Having finished my labours in connection with the Great Eastern, I spent six months erecting machines in the first great International Exhibition, London, whioh was an education in itself and of inestimable advantage in later life. “ You have brought out a number of inventions, have you not, Mr. Hughes ?” “ Yes, a very great many, both in Great Britain and in America, so many indeed that I could not begin to remember without a reference to my files.” “ Did you find very much difficulty in the patent offioe with your early inventions, that is to say did you have to contend with an undue amount of red tape ?"

“ Ah, I see you are a readpr of Dickens, and remember his description of the Circumlocution Office," was the,laughing reply; “as a matter of fact we did meet with many obstacles, but after a while, in order to mimimiso the worry and expense, •we hit upon a plan which proved very effective. It was as follows:—lnstead of sending in an application for a patent for each separate invention, we used to wait until the end of the year, and send in the whole batch together, so that the specifications would sometimes comprise a number of inventions of most dissimilar type, ranging, for instanoe, from an improvement on a steel pen to a new styiei of coal-scuttle." “Canyou remember what your first invention was, Mr. Hughes?” • '

“ I could hardly give you a detailed description of it, but it was an improvement in agricultural implements to enablo thrashing to be done more rapidly and effectively." “ You were particularly interested in locomotive engineering, were you not, Mr. Hughes ?” “ Yes, and that reminds me of a point that may interest you as a newspaper man. I was the first man in Great Britain to advertise as a locomotive engineer. It was considered infra dig then," the speaker continued, with a twinkle in his eye, “ for a respectable firm to advertise, and I recollect well that my father thought I was making a great mistako in doing so, but I had my way to make, and I concluded to give the thing a trial" “And what was your experience ?” “ Most gratifying, I assure you ; the other fellows wouldn’t come down from their lofty perch, and the consequence was I got the larger part of the outside work. I have always been a great believer in advertising since then, and the others soon found out that the scheme was not at all a bad one."

“ Were you not connected with the introduction of the steam tramway service in Great Britain, Mr. Hughes ?" “ Yes. I was the first person in Great Britain to work a street tramway by steam, which I did (before the passing o an Act of Parliament for the purpose) in Glasgow and Leicester, thereby making myself liable to heavy penalties- An Act was passed shortly after, however, and I supplied engines for Glasgow, Wolverhampton, Swansea, Paris, Lille, and many other places.” ,

- “Where were you stationed at this time, Mr. Hughes?" “ I had established a business in Loughborough as a mechanical engineer, which I carried on for 28 years. > In 18621 took my then foreman, Mr. Coltman, mto parfaiership enlarged the. business. It was' in 1875 that ; we- ; ebmni^a|afl^io|

make locomotive engines for tramways, which met with great success, but as the expense of bringing them out was very great Ideemed it advisable in 1877 to float the business into a limited liability company, which was successfully accomplished in June of that year. I acted as managing director of the company for sometime, and while doiug so, superintended the steam traction companies at Paris and at Lille.” “ When did you make up your mind to come to New Zealand, Mr. Hughes ?” . . “ Well, I had been thinking of coming to Australasia for some time, but I did not fully make up my mind'until 1883. At that, time I had been precluded by agreements from carrying on business for some time in Great Britain, and I definitely decided to .try. the New World. I sailed by the ‘ Koranui ’ and came to Wellington direct.” “ What was your first impression of the colonies ?” .“Rather a dampening one. Before coming away I had had'several conversations with the Agent-General, from whom I gained the impression that I had only to arrive in Wellington and, make known my name and profession to be received” with enthusiasm, hi fact, I had a vague sort of idea that there would be flags flying and a band or something of that sort for me when I arrived.”

“ It didn’t come off that way did it, Mr. Hughes ?”

“ No, no. There was not the least excitement, not the least enthusiasm displayed ; as a matter of fact, it appeared to me that the town 'seenied depressed at my arrival, but that may have been only my imagination. However, I felt depressed enough, for niy cash capital was decidedly limited, still I cheered myself with the thought that one must not rely on first impressions, and that all the enthusiasm would come after they knew I had actually arrived and was established in the town. 1 ’ • “ Did it come, Mr Hughes ?”

7 “No, Mr. • Fairway ;to be absolutely correct I must say that at the start I was not rushed, and it was only when the financial sky was beginning to look anything but bright, that I was engaged by Captain Williams to complete the tramway for the Koranui mine. My work proved most successful, and then the- tide turned, and everything became coleiir de rose. After having become thoroughly domiciled, I started the International Patent and Trades. Marks Office, which has grown into one of the big institutions of the colony ?"

“ Wha't is the exact nature of the business ?”

' “ Well, briefly, we examine the patents which are placed in our hands, draw up plans and specifications, make the necessary application at the Patent Office, and, in a word, carry the entire details of the business through from the first to its final' stage; we act as intermediaries between the inventor and the-- consummation of his desires, and we have a schedule of prices or taxes for successful inventions.”

“ But supposing a man wants an invention patented in another colony, or even at “ Home,” what then ?” “ We have made arrangements by which an article can be patented in any portion of the civilized globe. A man can, through us, protect his invention in Australia, America, Fur ope, and even portions of Asia and Africa. Of course, the wider the area in which he wishes to protect himself, the heavier will be the expense ; but if, for instance, he wishes to introduce a new patent into America, before either he or his representative arrives in the United States, through our agencies the pathway can be made smooth for him , and his rights guarded.”

What about the. inan who has succeeded in evolving a treally .useful invention, and yet whose capital is top limited to joermit' of:hif paying for itsprotection ?”

“ You don’t seem to understand, Mr. Fair Play. Our scale of charges is on the system of royalties—a comparatively small preliminary expense is incurred—and we reap our profit from the amounts paid in after the invention is in active operation.” . _

“ Do you employ legal aid in the carrying on of your business, Mr. Hughes ?”

“ Not in the actual work,” was the reply, with a twinkle of the eye, “ we sometimes are obliged to seek legal advice, as I presume you newspaper men are, but with you as with us it is out of the ordinary line of business, and now that you ask me the questien I am reminded of a compliment which I received a short time back.' A client of one of _ the leading solicitors in town (now a member of Parliament) was asking his advice re a patent. I was present during the consultation. After matters had been arranged the client enquired whether his adviser would draw up the plans and specifications for him ? ‘Ohno ’ was the reply, Mr. Hughes can do that for you ten times better than I can.”

“ Have you brought out any inventions yourself lately,” queried the interviewer. “ No, it would not do in my present position ; it might be said that I had simply stolen other people’s ideas and made some slight alteration in them. ■ You see a great number of patents for all quarters of the world pass through our hands annually and it would not be fair either to myself or the paten, tees to work in their territory. I have done my share in the invention line, having in my own name and as my own work patented some hundreds of improvements, and inventions, and now I am satisfied to make the pathway smoother for the younger generation. My ’experience both in patent law and practice and also my practical knowledge of all kinds of machinery is of great use, and I may safely say that I number amongst"my clients every inventor of note in New Zealand. I have been engaged repeatedly as expert witness in engineering and patent matters, and as a matter of fact,” continued the speaker laughingly, “ I find that my greatest difficulty is to avoid being engaged on both sides by opposing clients.,’ “ Is it permissible to ask a question with reference to the number of patents passing through your hands, on an average yearly, Mr. Hughes ?” “ Quite so, and my answer will give you an idea of the number of intelligent inventors New Zealand possesses. When we first started a patent agency in New Zealand we had a clientele which produced 15 patents per annum ; the business has increased to that extent that at the present time over 300 patents pass through our hands annually, and it is still growing. This number gives us nearly one every day and they are of all kinds and sorts.”

“ There is an Australasian Institute of Patent Agents, is there not?”

“ Yes, it was founded in 1890, and I was one of its first associates. There ” said the speaker, pointing to a large framed photograph hanging on the wall, “ are the different members and you will notice that my picture has been placed at the top as being the senior patent agent in the Southern Hemisphere'” “ I suppose you are associated with similar institutions in the Old Country ?” was the next query. “ Undoubtedly, both now and. in the past, I was a member of the -Institute of Engineers, London, for many years, and am How a member of the Chartered Institute of Patent Agents , London; lam also a Fellow of the Australasian Institute of Patent Agents, and was a member of the Society of Arts for a long time.” “I suppose you intend remaining in New Zealand ?” .

“ Oh, yes. My home is here now, and I like Wellington ; the people may be a little conservative at first, but when you know them and they know you, it would be hard to find a more hospitable place. As I told you before, on my first arrival, I felt the full force of being a stranger in a strange land, but I sqon made firm friends, and now the place seems more like home to me than it would be if I returned to England.” “ You have a branch office in Auckland, have you not ?”

“ Yes, and we are in communication with every city in the colony, so that our business can be carried on without the slightest delay or hitch,” “ Well, I must thank you for your information, Mr. Hughes,” said our representative, “ and if ever I evolve an invention I shall seek your advice, although at the present I think the only thing that I should be a success at, would be the invention of a new libel law, and I am afraid you would hardly give me much aid in that.”

“ No,” was the laughing rejoinder, “ not exactly,' but I wish you every success, both in your endeavours ha that direction, and in the establishing of your breezy little paper.”

Mr. Henry Hughes, whose portrait appeal's above, has passed an eventful life. Originally from the Old Country he brought to this colony the experience and intelligence of a trained engineer and inventor, and although at the first outset luck seemed to be against the new comer, he pluckily carved his way to the position he now holds. The representative of Fair Play found Mr. Hughes a-very busy man seated at his desk, which was covered with plans and specifications and rather hesitated in opening the conversation; as soon, however) as the name of the paper was mentioned the subject of our sketch asked the interviewer to be seated, and wheeling round his own chair said cheerily : So you want to know something about me for your paper Mr. Fair Play. Well, I’ll be pleased to give any information in my power, so where shall I begin? ” “ Will you tell us about your early life before you came to New Zealand?”