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nUR associated journal The Motor Boat announces a new venture of the famous motorcar manufacturers, Morris Motors, Ltd.—their entry into marine motoring by the production of an engine suitable for the propulsion of launches and small motor cruisers. It will be rated at 12-24 h.p. and will be 3318 sold complete with full electrical equipment at £100. The most important components of the Morris marine motor will be interchangeable with those of the same make of car engine, The new marine motor will be available to the public in the course of a few weeks. In view of the very rapid growth of motorboating during the past year or two, this new development is of the greatest importance, and it is understood that Mr. W. R. Morris is particularly interested in the marine market because of its export possibilities.
THERE is an agitation, for the reform of our system of granting patents for inventions, and we must Say that we think the agitation is justified. In the course of our work in preparing the page of this journal which deals with recent patents, we find the same " invention" described again and again and patents granted to different 'people for what seems to us to be the same idea. We see patents granted for sectional pneumatic tyres, direction indicators to he fitted at the rear of motor vehicles, and various ways of accomplishing an end, in which we cannot see the slightest new feature. In our page of this issue dealing with recent specifications, we call attention to three patents for self-tracking sixwheelers, the similarity of which strikes us as an Instance where disputes and litigation might arise. If the Patent Office, after admitting the first application, can see sufficient novelty in the two later ones to warrant the granting of patents, we suggest that the novel points' should be more plainly stated in the claims, so that the patentees should know exactly on what points they are protected by their particular patents.
There is nothing more disheartening to an inventor than to find that a patent granted to 'him by a Government department, for which he is charged higher than in other countries, is worthless and (lees not afford him the protection from infringement lie expected when he paid his fees.
pRESSURE on our space has prevented us from dealing with the railway statistics issued each month by the Minister of Transport since the figures for the month of June issued in September. in July there was a decrease of 2,844,000 passengers, or 2.6 per cent., as compared with July, 1927, but of 5,842,000 journeys at ordinary fares the increase of nearly 3,000,000 journeys at reduced fares saving the situation so far as numbers go, although the monetary result would not be good. In August there was an increase of 6,658,000 journeys at reduced fares, but a decrease of 4,124,000 ordinary fare journeys. The decrease in receipts in July was £991,217, or 12 per cent, and the increase in August was £561,870, or 7.1 per cent. The railways had to cover more mileage to get these results.
Freight showed a decrease of 2,392,860 tons, or 9.1 per cent., in July, and of 1,693,410 tons, or 6.4 per cent., in August. Freight receipts decreased by £742,130, or 8.3 per cent., in July, and £613,282, or 6,8 per cent., in August, the mileage covered naturally being less.