FIRE DEPARTMENT OF DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. OCTOBER 24, 1919.-Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union and ordered to be printed. Mr. GOULD, from the Committee on the District of Columbia, submitted the following REPORT. [To accompany H. R. 10137.] The Committee on the District of Columbia, to which was referred the bill (H. R. 10137) to amend an act entitled "An act to classify the officers and members of the fire department of the District of Columbia, and for other purposes," approved June 20, 1906, and for other purposes, having considered the same, report thereon without amendment, with a recommendation that it pass. As a result of the report of the subcommittee appointed to consider the question of the firemen's salaries in conformity with living conditions, and the information supplied during the hearings, which have been printed and are a matter of record, it is the unanimous opinion of the committee that the amounts as proposed in this bill are absolutely justified. For the information of the House there is inserted herewith a chart showing the present basic salaries received by the members of the fire department of the District of Columbia, the proposed basic salaries as recommended by this bill, as well as the proposed actual increase per man and the total proposed increase. NOTE. To the above proposed basic salaries of $2,500 or less will be added the bonus of $240 per annum now provided for by law until July 1, 1920. There is also inserted herewith for the information of the House a statement showing the present salaries that are being paid the firemen of the highest grade in seven cities of the United States, including the proposed new salaries plus $240 bonus for the city of Washington, D. C., and comparison is made between these salaries and those that are being paid to the patrolmen of the police department of corresponding grade. As proposed and passed by the House of Representative, Oct. 13, 1919. (This amount includes the $240 bonus.) The committee wishes to direct particular attention to the salary now being paid to the inspectors of the fire department and the amounts proposed by this bill, namely, $1,080, and $1,660, and quote herewith the following information taken from the printed hearings of October 15, 1917: Mr. BROWNLOW. Mr. Chairman, awhile ago I asked an opportunity to insert something that I omitted. I would like to do it before this gentleman proceeds, because it is on the same point. Mr. GOULD. Certainly. Mr. BROWNLOW. The inspectors in the fire marshal's office formerly had the same salary as privates-that is, privates of the second class, the high privates-$1,080. When, three years ago, since I have been in office, we succeeded in getting the high privates increased to $1,140 by error, as I believe it was—and it was so denominated by Senator Gallinger on the floor of the Senate these inspectors were not included, and in this bill we have recommended that the inspectors in the fire marshal's office have the same salaries as privates of class 3, and we would like to see them get the same salary as was given to the policemen of class 3 in the bill that passed the House on Monday. I omitted to say that when I was making my general statement. Mr. ACHSTETTER. The remarks of Mr. Brownlow are just what I wanted to speak about. The drift of the talk this evening was an increase of salaries in regard to members of the fire department, but nothing was said about members of the fire marshal's office. When the fire department was reorganized in 1906-we get the same salary as we did then-our office was overlooked entirely at the last increase that the fire department obtained. Our office did not get any consideration at all— the fire marshal's office. Mr. GOULD. This proposed bill as drawn by the commissioners would rectify that injustice, then? Mr. ACHSTETTER. Yes, sir. Of course, there was nothing said, and that is the reason I came here to call your attention to it. O CONGRESS CONVENTION FOR THE PROTECTION OF TRADE-MARKS OCTOBER 24, 1919.-Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union and ordered to be printed. Mr. NOLAN, from the Committee on Patents, submitted the following REPORT. [To accompany H. R. 9023.] The Committee on Patents, to which was referred H. R. 9023, a bill to give effect to certain provisions of the convention for the protection of trade-marks and commercial names, made and signed in the city of Buenos Aires, in the Argentine Republic, August 20, 1910, and for other purposes, reports the bill to the House with a recommendation that the bill do pass. Hearings were held on this measure on October 15, at which time there appeared before the committee Hon. James T. Newton, United States Commissioner of Patents; Mr. C. E. McGuire, assistant secretary general, International High Commission; Mr. Thomas P. Robinson, representing the American Patent Law Association; and Mr. Chauncey P. Carter, Washington, D. C., all urging the passage of this bill. The purpose of this legislation is to give effect between the convention of the United States and the Central and South American States and Cuba for the protection of trade-marks. This convention was signed in Buenos Aires August 20, 1910, and ratified by the Senate February 8, 1911. An international bureau which will act for the northern States of South America and for the United States has been established in Habana, pursuant to the convention, but is unable to deal with the United States in the absence of specific statute giving the requisite authority to the Commissioner of Patents. South American States which subscribed to the convention are awaiting action by Congress on the pending bill. A statement from the Secretary of the Treasury, Hon. Carter Glass, concerning the convention and its purposes is herewith attached: TREASURY DEPARTMENT, MY DEAR MR. CHAIRMAN: I understand that the Committee on Patents is about to consider House bill 9023, permitting the Commissioner of Patents to open a register for marks transmitted by the International Trade-Mark Registration Bureau at Habana |