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International Convention. Last year was somewhat remarkable for the number of applications under the Convention and reciprocal arrangements with Australia, 114 being received, or 6 per cent, of the total for the year. To show the increasing extent to which the provisions of the Convention are availed of, I append a statement of the number of applications under the Convention in each of the last five years, with total received. Y„ ar Total Number of Number of Applications Applications. under the Convention. 1906 ... ... ... ... 1,745 29 1907 ... ... ... ... 1,618 48 1908 ... ... ... 1,527 39 1909 ... ... ... ... 1,705 78 1910 ... ... ... ... 1,831 114 Women Inventors. Thirty applications were received from women, or about 1£ per cent, of the total received. Such applications relate to inventions for a vehicle-wheel, bicycle-saddle, sewing-machine, pianoattachment, and such household requirements as a window-cleaner, toast-rack, food-warmer, saucepan, kettle, curtain-ring, venetian-blind mechanism. In England 671 applications were received in 1910 from women inventors— i.e., 2 per cent, of the total number of applications. Number op Patents applied for and sealed, etc., in various Countries. The following table shows the number of applications in various countries, the proportion thereof to the population, and the number of patents sealed for the year 1908 : —

DESIGNS. The number of designs registered annually appears to be steadily decreasing; and this form of protection, which is well suited for countries with their manufactures in an advanced state, does not seem to be at present of much use in New Zealand. Last year 46 registrations were effected, as compared with 51 in 1909 and 79 in 1908. TRADE MARKS. The increase in the number of trade marks annually registered appears to afford satisfactory evidence of progress in trade and commerce. Last year applications showed an advance of 115, or 16 per cent, on the total for 1909; 335, or 40 per cent., being from residents of this country, and 483 from abroad. A corresponding increase is noticeable in the revenue, which amounted to £1,091 14s. lid. under this head, £52 6s. 5d. more than in the preceding year.

Applioi rtions filed. Country. Patents sealed. Numbers. Proportion per 10,000 of Population. Australia Austria Belgium Canada (1907) Cuba Denmark France Germany, Patents ,, Gebrauchmuster Great Britain Hungary Italy Japan, Patents „ Gebrauchmuster Mexico New Zealand Norway Portugal Spain Sweden Switzerland Tunis United States of America 2,840 8,480 8,186 7,077 270 1,872 14,893 40,312 45,524 28,598 4,126 6,705 5,238 10,510 1,126 1,527 1,483 416 2,307 2,974 4,586 83 60,142 6-2 31 11-5 10-3 1-3 7-2 3-& 0-6 0-7 64 2-6 2-6 1-1 2-2 0-8 16-2 6-2 0-7 1-2 5-5 13-8 0-4 6-8 1,630 4,450 8,073 Not available. 174 1,293 13,807 11,610 35,248 16,284 3,615 4,600 2,600 3,584 1,074 667 1,295 458 2.274 2,377 3,429 82 33,514 (Reprinted —except as regards proportion of applications to population—from Lα Propriili Induslrielle.)