§ SIR JOHN LENG (Dundee)I beg to ask the President of the Board of Trade whether, in view of the surplus of revenue from patents, amounting last year to upwards of £107,000, it is contemplated to reduce the renewal fees, so as to approximate the cost of a patent in the United Kingdom to that in the United States.
§ THE PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD OF TRADE (Mr. GERALD BALFOUR,) Leeds, CentralIt is not at present in contemplation to reduce these fees. If the Patent Bill now before the House becomes law, a considerable increase in the staff of the office must follow, and the work done—which should be of material benefit to the inventor—will cause so large an expenditure of money as very greatly to reduce the present surplus.