The Upper House. 33

At a following Meeting the Conferees of the Lower House ac-
quainted the Conferees of the Upper House, that their House re-
jected the Proposition generally on all fees & the Conferees of the
Upper House acquainted them that their House would not agree to
their last mentioned Proposition but that they would Consent that
the Points already agreed on should stand that Copying should be
fixed at 9^tt of Tobacco p side and all other Fees should be rated at
20 p Cent below what they stand in his Lordships Proclamation
At the next Meeting the Conferees of the Lower House rejected
the last mentioned Proposition of the Upper House
Your Conferees beg Leave to Observe that at the first Entrance
on the Consideration of the Quantum of the Fees it was proposed
by the Conferees of the Lower House that We should lay before
Us as a Rule, the fees that were allowed for service in Virginia and
Pennsylvania, and they produced the Laws of those Provinces regu-
lating the fees there for that Purpose
This the Conferees of the Lower House could not agree to, be-
cause that they apprehended there were wide differences between
the Circumstances of the several Provinces, and the Services in use

U. H. J.
Liber No. 34

in each of them, They were willing that they should draw what Argu-
ment they thought proper from them, but could not Consent that
they should be Considered in any Sort as Rules for them to be Regu-
lated by, for though they may often Agree in Names the Real
Service to be done may be different and they were not able to Judge
wherein such Difference may Consist
In Pennsylvania all fees are paid in Money and that Payment
made at the time of doing the service, so that there is no laying out
of Money, no Loss by bad Debts nor any Charges of Collection &c^a
which disadvantage must always attend Officers who are paid in
Tobacco; In Virginia where Fees are paid in Tobacco the Extent
of that Province and number of its Inhabitants so much exceed this
that the same services on both done at the same Rate must produce to
the Virginia Officer much more than to the Maryland one, and the
same sum of Tobacco by Reason of the very great Disparity there is
between that of Virg^a and that of Maryland especially of Officers
Tobacco must be a very different Recompence here and there, there
are no trash Tobacco can be imposed on the Officer for all must pass
Inspection, and no one can be paid Inconvenient for all Payments
are at the publick Warehouses, here the Charges of Collecting Re-
ceiving Rolling and Prizing sink a very great part of the Officers
Tob^o itself, and what he receives at last, is fallen into so low Repute
by the unfair Custom of Packing up Trash and Unmerchantable
Tobacco, which so much prevail in this Province, that it bears no
Proportion in Value with that of Virginia
And upon closing this Conference of the Lower House insisted on
incerting in the Report of the proceedings their House produced as

3

p. 78