3. These specifications to be registered.
4. Any time after an invention has been tried and proved practically useful, a fact to be duly certified, the inventor to be allowed to claim that the invention shall be reported on.
5. A Chief Commissioner for Inventions shall appoint one or more examiners for this purpose, whose duty it shall be (after, if needful, first visiting the scene of operations, and conferring with practical manufacturers) to recommend, if they think it worthy, classification for a reward, prize, or certificate of merit.
6. Once a year the head of the Invention-office, with the help of an Adjudicatory Committee, who shall form an Invention Commission, shall classify the several inventions that have been in the previous twelve months certified as having been for the first time brought into beneficial use.
7. In his classification the first rank shall entitle to a
| reward of | £10,000. | |
| 2nd | 5,000. | |
| 3rd | 1,000. | |
| 4th | 500. | |
| 5th | 100. | |
| 6th | 50. | |
| 7th, | Gold Medal, | or value in money. |
| 8th, | Silver Medal | ” |
| 9th, | Bronze Medal | ” |
| 10th, | Certificate of Merit. | |
8. Parliament shall annually place at the disposal of the Invention Commission £200,000, from which shall be defrayed the expenses of the staff, and fees to “reporters,” as well as of the several publications showing the progress of Invention that shall (as now, but on an improved system) be issued; the balance to be distributed in rewards and prizes, with an understanding, however, that the amount must be reduced if the total awards of the Commission shall exceed the money at its disposal.
9. In appointing Commissioners Government shall consult the various trading interests of the nation in order to select the most acceptable persons. Inventors collectively might have a veto or the initiative.
10. The prizes may be divided between the originator of the idea of any invention and the successful introducer into practical use.
11. Where there are rival claimants, the expense of deciding priority in respect of time and merit to be borne by themselves.