94 Urdahl—Historical Survey of Fee Systems. 
writers, for two reasons: first, in order to raise funds to de¬ 
fray the expense of maintaining the patent office; and, secondly, 
to serve as a check against numerous and indiscriminate ap¬ 
plications for patent. 
K. DROITS DE VOIRIE. 1 
These are charges for permits to erect signs on public high¬ 
ways or streets, also for the privilege of erecting porticos, bal¬ 
conies, verandas, and similar structures on the streets. Charges 
for permits to erect bath houses in rivers, for permits to have 
news stands on streets, wharves, and other places, and many 
other similar privileges belong to that class. Before the Rev¬ 
olution these fees formed part of the seigniorial dues, and were 
often farmed out by the lord or the king. At present they are 
of increasing importance, especially in the cities, as they can 
be allowed or discontinued at any time, if the public welfare 
seems to demand it. 
L. PERMIS DE CHASSE . 2 
These are fees for license to hunt and to carry hunting arms, 
and are of considerable importance. At one time they yielded 
nearly two million francs of revenue into the treasury. Numer¬ 
ous laws have been enacted regulating this privilege, and for a 
time, after the Revolution, the right to hunt was free to all; this 
caused such destruction of game that the old regulations were 
enacted. In 1871, the fee was fixed at thirty francs to the state 
and ten francs to the commune; which was found to be so high 
as to cause a diminution in the receipts, and, in 1875, the charge 
was reduced to eighteen francs for the state and ten for the 
commune. 
The above-mentioned fees are simply a few of the most im¬ 
portant classes in the French fee system. There are of course 
many others, of which no mention has been made; some of them, 
like the court fees, of very great significance. Many others are 
1 Say, Dictionnaire , p. 1532; Hock, p. 425. 
3 Parieu, 111,408. 
