Court Fees. 
185 
A. REGISTRATION FEES. 
Not even the registration fees have enough elements in com 
mon in a sufficient number of states to make any comparison give 
significant results. * 1 Many attempts have been made to change 
the system of registration of land titles; 2 but the interests of 
lawyers, and many other forces have, as a rule, been arrayed 
against such reforms, and as a result they have been introduced 
in but few localities. The Australian, or Torrens system, was 
adopted in the city of Chicago a short time ago, but it was soon 
carried into the courts and declared unconstitutional. It is 
needless to state that enormous sums are each year paid out 
in fees for registration, a great part of which, with a more 
modern system, might be saved to the public. Too much empha¬ 
sis cannot be laid upon the necessity of adopting more simple 
and modern methods of registering land titles. Most of the 
Western and Middle states could as yet put into operation, with¬ 
out much difficulty, systems of registration which would be the 
means of saving millions of dollars to future generations. In 
the more densely populated Eastern states the necessity of a 
new system is beginning to be felt; but the change can be ac¬ 
complished only with the greatest difficulty, because of the in¬ 
numerable vested interests based on the old systems of regis¬ 
tration. The older and more populous a country grows, the more 
intricate and costly does the tracing of land-titles become, and 
the more powerful are the forces arrayed against such reforms. 
In New York the average cost of obtaining an abstract of title 
of real estate is from seventy-five to one hundred dollars; while 
all fees collected by public bodies for the services of institutions which are 
industrial in their character. The post office, government telegraph, tele¬ 
phone, municipal waterworks, gas works, as well as toll roads and toll 
bridges are institutions of this kind. 
1 The registration fee in one state is part of a license fee or of some other 
fee, while in a different state it is distinct. 
2 The original fee for registration is often the smallest part of the fees 
paid in securing title. There is, as a rule, an abstract-office fee, attorney’s 
fee for examining title, a fee for certificate from register of deeds, and 
often many others. There are thus many people whose livelihood depends 
on the continuance of the old fee system. 
