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Postscripts LYNNE M. LAMM
E x p a n s i o n o f P a t e n t Office a n d B u r e a u o f S t a n d a r d s c u r t a i l e d b y l i m i t a t i o n s o n p e r s o n n e l . . A g r e e m e n t r e a c h e d for b u y i n g 1946 a n d 1947 C u b a n s u g a r c r o p · · . C W S r e g r o u p e d a n d p e r s o n n e l r e d u c e d . . . OWMR a n d OES merged t o m e e t c h a n g i n g reconversion n e e d s ΠΗΗΕ Secretary of Commerce may not Α be able to proceed with some of his most cherished notions about putting more •science into the Department of Commerce. He got his authorizations from Congress, but meanwhile administration leaders have passed orders to department heads to cut expenditures seriously. This · department's request for a first quarter personnel limit of about 36,000 was not met all the way, by around 4,000. Accordingly, Mr. Wallace's helpers are scrambling around, trying t o spread what they have over the largest amount of agency activity. The department is not short-handed by any means—just under manned for what Mr. Wallace has in mind. Limit Set on Commerce Personnel However, the enforced limit on personnel will curtail rather large plans for expanding the Patent Office to per form numerous additional functions en visioned by Mr. Wallace, and which have been mentioned here from time to time. The Bureau of Standards, which had a considerable part in atomic energy de velopments, also will not be enlarged materially, as originally planned. The Office of International Trade, in Commerce, is being whittled to conform to changed views from higher up. The Secretary had asked for two assistant secretaries of commerce, and had made plans for re-forming the department under these new heads. While Congress au thorized many of the plans which Mr. Wallace proposed, it did not approve the requested new assistants, so whatever was in mind in adding these new officials to the Commerce Department, it will not be put in operation at this time. The economy trend indicated in the above is a rather sudden development in Washington. It may have been predi cated upon some as yet unpublicized forecast from within the Administration, as to future revenue intake, or perhaps to the fears of inflation engendered during OPA's lapse. Anyway, it is becoming very much emphasized. The latest figures from over-all tax returns do not bear out any pessimism that may have been implied, nor does the plan of the Senate Finance Committee to adhere to a high tax level in 1947 recommendations. 2152
Further developments involving the proposals for closer government super vision in patent operations, and govern ment participation in patent uses, probably will depend on the make-up of* the next Congress. A large part of the legislative and administrative pattern involving new concepts of patent regula tion will have to go through Congress again. The Kilgore-Magnuson compen dium, S. 1850, was lost in a House com mittee in the final days of the session after passing the Senate. Now, if t h e ideas in that composite bill are revived, they will be subject to hearings, and, it is freely expected, to many changes before seeing action again. Agreement on Cuban Sugar Crop The Commodity Credit Corp. has finally reached an agreement with the Cuban Sugar Stabilization Institute for purchase of the 1946 and entire 1947 sugar crop. Highlights of the agreement, bearing on interested industries are these: Molasses. Cuba bas agreed to furnish the United States a minimum of 115,000,000 gallons c «* lackstrap molasses from the 1946 cro,. and 165,000,000 gallons from the 1947 crop. The price is deter mined by sugar content, with the base 2.5 cents per pound of total sugar con tent. The average is estimated to be 13.6 cents per gallon. The average total sugar content per gallon will be around 5.5 lb. for this blackstrap. Alcohol. The United States has agreed to purchase 190-proof alcohol from Cuba with 10,000,000 gallons to be delivered not later than December 31, 1946, and 20,000,000 gallons additional, not later than December 31, 1947, with another 10,000,000 gallons t o be purchased by June 30, 1948. For each 2.7 gallons of blackstrap which fail to be delivered, the United States will purchase 1 gallon less of alcohol. The price is 65 cents per gallon of 190-proof alcohol, with discounts on lower proofs or other undesirable characteristics. It is fairly evident that Cuban authori ties have now protected the heavy ex pansion of alcohol-producing facilities that took place in Cuba during the war. Incidentally, this expansion has always been something of a mystery, inasmuch as materials for similar projects in the United States were virtually unobtainable by American producers, except on high priorities. However, it is recalled that CHEMICAL
some 30 or more new alcohol plants, of varying capacity, sprang up on the island. While Cuba intends to use motor fuel with a substantial proportion of alcohol a s a constituent, the return to peacetime gasoline supplies eventually would obviate this procedure. The temporary strain on alcohol supply for synthetic rubber will be eased by the Cuban supply, but con tinuing shipments into 1948 probably will develop into a problem for domestic producers, particularly if the Government maintains a higher foreign price than the domestic product commands. Two Government Agencies Reorganised Two government agency reorganization* are worth noting.* Chemical Warfare Service has been reduced in some parts, and regrouped. However, the War De partment, with specific reference to thie service's involvement in an investigation of wartime matters, said the changes had been booked since April 1, when the War Department itself underwent some revision of activities. Personnel has been reduced and some wartime posts abolished, it is stated. The other- concerns the merger of the Office of War Mobilization and Recon version and the Office of Economic Stabilization, to meet the changing needs of reconversion. The change, it is claimed, will enmesh the staffs of OWMR and OES to eliminate duplication and reduce operational expense. The top staff posi tion in OWMR is Deputy for Production, Stabilization and War Liquidation, a new position, to be filled by Harold Stein, who, since leaving Yale in 1934, has takes the alphabet route in Government, from FERA, WPA, OPM, etc., Foreign Eco nomic Administration, and others, to hie present post, so he will have a fairly comprehensive view of Washington mat· ters. Two other deputy directors are named, and a special assistant to the Di rector of Reconversion, besides Mr. Stein. "The responsibilities of OWMR for reconversion and the coordination of pro duction and stabilization remain un changed by this reassignment of func tions," the director, John R. Steelman, said in announcing the merger. "Purpose of the reorganization is simply to increase the efficiency of the Reconversion Office ae coordinator and expediter of the Govern ment's production and stabilization policies. The Congress and President have placed wide responsibilities in ppfc office, to the end that the nation \yÊp make a successful transition to fuÏÏstwro2*» duction.» w ^ ^ AND
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