136 
Urdahl—Historical Survey of Fee Systems. 
intended for export. The exporter was not only required to 
pay a fixed fee for each quantity of goods inspected, but in some 
cases was compelled to buy a certificate stating that the entire 
cargo had been inspected, before the vessel could obtain its 
clearance papers. 1 
Facilities for ascertaining the weight and measure of articles 
bought or sold, were not as yet in the possession of the masses. 
The increasing amount of buying and selling which was done 
by means of comparatively few scales and instruments of meas¬ 
urement, presented a fine opportunity for large profits by means 
of fraudulent instruments. A sealer of weights and measures to 
test regularly the accuracy of all scales, was therefore an eco¬ 
nomic necessity. The services of this official were directly in the 
interest of the owner of the scales, because his instrument re¬ 
ceived the official sanction and approval. It was therefore not 
unjust to require him to pay the inspection fee. With the 
growth in population the number of scales multiplied very rap¬ 
idly. As a result the number of sealers required was very much 
greater, and the amount of fees paid to these became of more 
importance. 
D. NEW INSPECTION FEES. 
The industrial progress of the community shows itself most 
directly in the canal and railroad building, and the employment 
of steam in navigation. As a result of the imperfections of the 
earlier built engines, their use was not so safe as it has since 
become. Railway, steamboat, and other accidents were very nu¬ 
merous, due to boiler explosions or fires caused by the applica¬ 
tion of steam as a means of propulsion. Lives were lost in 
large numbers; steamboats went down with all on board; rail¬ 
road holocausts were frequent; all of which resulted in pressure 
for legislation to protect the lives of the public against the sup¬ 
posed carelessness and greed of transportation companies. The 
states 2 therefore stepped in and passed acts making railroads 
responsible for injuries received in railroad accidents. 
1 Laws of New Hampshire, New York, and of other states. 
2 Massachusetts took the lead, followed by the other NewEngland states, 
and by New York and Pennsylvania before 1850; while the North- 
