Inspection Fees . 
159 
tion fees. In the early states hides were very often inspected 
to ascertain whether they were marketable or not. Some of the 
Southern and Western states have adopted laws almost exactly 
similar to the early enactments. They provided for regular 
inspectors, whose duty it was to inspect all hides before they 
were sold or exported, and who were allowed to collect fees for 
such inspection. 1 Stringent provisions were made to prevent 
ranch owners or other individuals from shipping any raw hides 
before they had been inspected. But though the early and later 
laws are much alike, still their purposes are widely different. 
The inspections under the later laws are not so much to ex¬ 
amine and pronounce upon the quality of the hides, as to ascer¬ 
tain the brand or mark. In other words, they are police regu¬ 
lations to prevent concealment of the theft of cattle in shipping 
the hides of slaughtered animals. 
But there are a large number of other inspection fees which 
are paid for purely police regulations. Of this character may 
be mentioned those due for the inspection of steamboats 2 and 
boilers; 3 of vessels by health officers; 4 of mines; 5 of build¬ 
ings; of halls used for public purposes; 6 of sheep and cattle 7 
brought into a state, and examined with the view to prevent the 
introduction of contagious disease; and many other regulations 
of this nature. It is worthy of notice that this kind of regula¬ 
tion is on the increase; but, as a rule, the public welfare is so 
deeply involved, that it is often deemed advisable to pay the 
inspector out of the public treasury. 8 
^ev., 1871, par. 118; Tex., 1876,301, par. 25; Fla., 1889, Ch. 389, par. 1; 
Col., etc. 
2 Cal., 1885, I, Sec. 582; Me., 1876, Ch. 148, par. 4; and others. 
8 Conn. 1886, Ch. 129, fee $5. 
4 Louisiana, fee for vessel of 7,000 tons, $30; for less tonnage, $20; for 
brig, $15. 
5 Mont., 1895, par. 56, fee $10; Id., 1895, fee $5; la., Ill., etc. 
6 Connecticut, Maine, and others. 
1 Arizona, 1885, p. 50, fee ten cts. per head. 
8 As examples may be cited the inspection of bee-hives, for the preven¬ 
tion of diseases among bees, and of fruit trees brought into a state. 
