Repository: UIHistories Project: Board of Trustees Minutes - 1916 [PAGE 880]

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880

UNIVERSITY OP ILLINOIS.

[Jan 11,

In my opinion the preferable course would be to protect such discoveries by patent, and thereafter license desirable parties, or those qualifying to produce the product properly, either with or without royalty, and thereby to employ the patent to exercise a supervision over the manufacture in the interests of the public in general, and protect the public against inferior product, and to attain other desirable results. The late Prof. Robert Kennedy Duncan, of Pittsburgh, Pa., appears to me to have had a clear conception of the points involved in this subject, and I herewith attach a copy of a quotation which I find in my files taken from one of his works entitled "Chemical Problems of Today." I t is my recollection that there is additional matter on this subject in his works. I would therefore respectfully suggest that it might be well to carefully reconsider this matter before finally deciding not to obtain patents upon important developments in the arts. Very truly yours,

C. W. MILES.

[Extract from "Some Chemical Problems of Today" by Robert Kennedy Duncan, Director of Industrial Research arid Professor of Industrial Chemistry a t the University of Pittsburgh and at the University of Kansas.—Harvard Bros., Pub. 1911.] "It is not generally understood, as it should be, that the results of scientific investigation can go to the people only through the industrialists. We often hear it stated that some man eminent in science has 'given' his results to the people. This is, in nearly every instance, nonsense. No man can 'give' his results to the people. Take, for example, Roentgen's discovery of theX-rays, upon which, of course, he took out no patents. Did he 'give' these X-rays to the people? Not a t all. The X-rays could go into medical practice only by the use of X-ray bulbs, and these X-ray bulbs were manufactured and improved by certain corporations, through whose factories they went to the people. . These corporations, naturally and not at all improperly, placed on these X-ray bulbs all that that trade would bear. The fact that Roentgen, for example, took no money for his research simply added that much to the corporations concerned; his generosity did not make the slightest difference in what people paid. But let us understand that industrialists may come and industrialists may go, but that every new, significant fact hangs on forever, as a permanent gift to the human race in its struggle for that unknown goal toward which it is proceeding."

On motion of Mr. Carr, the President of the University was authorized to instruct Mr. Trygve D. Yensen to take out a patent on the discoveries recently made by him and to assign the patent to the University.

I N C O M E FROM S M I T H FARMS.

(11) A letter from Prof. J. G. Mosier, concerning the income from the Smith farms': January 8, 1916. President F. J, James,, University of Illinois. for the quarter ending December 31, 1915. Since the last statement, rep'airs have been made to the corn crib and one or two-outbuildings on the St. Joseph farm, and 80 posts and 160 rods of barbed wire have been secured for the Ludlow farm. The corn, with the exception of about 100 bushels, has been sold at the St. Joseph farm a t 61 cents per bushel. The corn on the other farm is in the crib. Very sincerely yours,

J. G. MOSIER. MY DEAR PRESIDENT JAMES : I am sending you a statement of the Smith farms

EXPENSES AND RECEIPTS ON ACCOUNT OF SMITH FARMS, OCT. 1, 1915, TO JAN. 1, 1916. Howard-Ludlow Barbed wire Posts Farm.

EXPENSES.

$ 6 00 24 00 , $ 2 60 25 21 17 50 :

Foltz-St. Joseph Farm. Nails • Lumber Alfred Cole, labor

$30 00

Ar~buchleJC~hampaign Farm. Russell Arbuckle, threshing oats General. Home Telephone Company Total expense Foltz-St. Joseph Farm. 1,889 bushels corn Pasture rent . . , . . » , . . . • . . . . . . .Total receipts . , . . . . - '

RECEIPTS.

45 31 50 82 10 $ 126 23 1,152 29 100 00

......

. *

. . . $1,252 29

This report was received for record.