90 
Urdahl—Historical Survey of Fee Systems. 
E. VERIFICATION OF WEIGHTS AND MEASURES. 
This service was of very great importance during the intro¬ 
duction of the metric system after the Revolution. In amount 
the fees vary from five centimes to five francs, according to the 
size or quality of the scale or measure to be inspected. The 
system is centralized and uniform for the entire country. The 
inspectors are paid salaries and the fees are turned over into 
the treasury. The scales and measures are required to be 
inspected each year, every commune or department having one 
or more regular inspectors to perform this service. 
F. DROITS DE GARANTIE . 1 
These are assayers’ fees, or charges made for ascertaining the 
amount and quality of metal contained in objects made of gold 
or silver. The first edict, dated 1579, provided for this service 
and established the fees, which were at that time termed “de 
remede. ” The revenue from this source was farmed out, which 
made the charges very obnoxious to the people, more especially 
because the assayers had the right to enter and examine the 
houses and factories of merchants and jewellers. In 1791 the 
whole system was abolished and freedom of trade established in 
gold and silver wares. But the numerous abuses which this 
resulted in, and the important source of revenue which the 
state found itself deprived of, soon led to the reintroduction of 
the old system with its compulsion. The act of 1873 is the 
basis of the present legislation on the subject. The fees vary ac¬ 
cording to the amount, quality, and kind of metal contained in 
the object inspected, namely 37.50 francs per hectogramme of 
gold and two francs per hectogramme of silver. The total 
revenue derived from these fees in 1888 amounted to 4,611,531 
francs. 
G. FRENCH POSTAL FEES . 2 
It has been asserted that the French postal system took its 
origin from the system of messengers which the University of 
1 Parieu, III, 423. Say, Dictionnaire des Finances , p. 306. 
2 Parieu, III, 281. 
