nditure of a large
capital; but the fact that the dye industry had gone from England to
Germany was, in the opinion of many, due not so much to free and open
competition as to the circumstances that (1) the German producers paid
more attention to systematic chemical research bearing on the industry,
and (2) that our absurd patent law operated to throttle English
production. The founder of the successful firm of Levinstein, Limited,
Mr. Ivan Levinstein, seeing by his own experience how our patent laws
prevented the development of the dye industry in England, devoted years
of work to obtain an alteration of these laws, but with only partial
success. The Government, after very long delays, attempted to deal with
the matter, but it is not yet satisfactorily settled. A Bill on the
subject is now before Parliament. A list can be given of more than a
dozen cases--there may have been many others--in which the
Badische-Anilin Fabrik was plaintiff against firms in this country. The
result was to aid the rapid development of the huge works near Mannheim
now used to manufacture poisonous gases, while the works in this country
were crippled. Strangely enough, it was an English chemist (Sir W.
Perkin) who made the discoveries which led to the development of this
industry; but it is generally possible where competition is keen to take
out subsidiary patents for small improvements which really enable the
subsequent patentee to command the market. Sometimes the root invention
for some reason cannot be made the subject of a valid patent, or the
patent for it expires before its full commercial value has been
realised, and the minor improvements give the holder of patents for them
a virtual monopoly.

All along the line, too, the big firm is favoured at the expense of the
smaller. The position of the small tradesman is often a very hard one.
The shopkeeper in a village or small town near the metropolis pays heavy
rates for the upkeep of roads which are torn to pieces by the heavy
motors of the great distributing firms delivering goods to those who
would otherwise be his customers, perhaps with petrol specially exempted
from taxation. The firm which by widespread advertisements can induce
people to buy an article with some familiar name attached, reaps a
gigantic fortune, while the man who makes the same article and cannot
spend money on advertisement gains a mere pittance. The advertisements
which disfigure the country are not taxed, as in