Cape Council of Policy
343
1665-09-08
Minute details
- Entry number
- 343
- Date
- 1665-09-08
- Year
- 1665
English translation
Notwithstanding that we have now continued various journeys of the E. Comp. craftspeople, as well as all engaged farmers, woodcutters, gardeners, and stable hands, etc., in order to be able to enjoy improvements in food money or the same daily wages as the soldiers normally receive every week, they have been flatly rejected and sent away, since we knew well that most of them had already improved considerably in both pay and food money (because of their work), and therefore could not share in such soldiers' daily wages for extraordinary services. However, yesterday all the carpenters, masons, smiths, etc. de novo by request, that we would at least allow them to receive such improvements in monthly wages in cash as had previously been stipulated by some Commissioners here above their monthly payments with or without new ban, as also strongly insisted on this and have requested this very seriously, all the aforementioned agricultural servants who work outside the E. Comps. large grain collector, and especially the woodcutters, who are hidden in the woods behind and between the mountains, maintaining that no one deserved such extraordinary reward better than they alone, or that we would otherwise allow them to enter and also earn such daily allowances for this new fortress,51 to be built, since they had to do such heavy work as daily, and could not survive on such a small soldier's allowance of 28 dimes a month.
So now that this matter has been examined more closely and properly considered, we have unanimously resolved, understood, and decided that we will not only grant the aforementioned craftsmen, but also those who are not entitled to any increase in wages or board, in return for their recurring requests, a small amount, and will henceforth provide everyone who has the funds and wishes one rixdollar or three guilders in cash every month to their current account. And since we also find in the fact that the aforementioned agriculture, but mainly the foresters (who have to search for the timber in the terrible rock-mountain clefts, fell it, and prune it) have to do the most difficult work here, it has also been understood in this meeting that those who have not yet improved and will not be stronger than 8 or 9 men, will each have their paid salary increased by two guilders, namely, those with nine guilders will henceforth receive eleven, those with 10 will receive 12, and those with 11 will receive 13 guilders per month, without more, provided that they will also be obliged to remain at such work for at least as long as that Their current bonds shall be fully expired.
Thus done and resolved in the Fort of Good Hope, on the date and year as above.
[Signed:] Z. WAGENAER.
[Signed:] ABRAHAM GABBEMA. 1665.
[Signed:] HENDR. LACUS.
[Signed:] CORN. DE CRETSER. Secrets. 1665.
So now that this matter has been examined more closely and properly considered, we have unanimously resolved, understood, and decided that we will not only grant the aforementioned craftsmen, but also those who are not entitled to any increase in wages or board, in return for their recurring requests, a small amount, and will henceforth provide everyone who has the funds and wishes one rixdollar or three guilders in cash every month to their current account. And since we also find in the fact that the aforementioned agriculture, but mainly the foresters (who have to search for the timber in the terrible rock-mountain clefts, fell it, and prune it) have to do the most difficult work here, it has also been understood in this meeting that those who have not yet improved and will not be stronger than 8 or 9 men, will each have their paid salary increased by two guilders, namely, those with nine guilders will henceforth receive eleven, those with 10 will receive 12, and those with 11 will receive 13 guilders per month, without more, provided that they will also be obliged to remain at such work for at least as long as that Their current bonds shall be fully expired.
Thus done and resolved in the Fort of Good Hope, on the date and year as above.
[Signed:] Z. WAGENAER.
[Signed:] ABRAHAM GABBEMA. 1665.
[Signed:] HENDR. LACUS.
[Signed:] CORN. DE CRETSER. Secrets. 1665.
Original Dutch transcription
Niet jegenstaende wij nu al diversche reijsen des E. Comps. ambachtsvolck, mitsgaders alle gegagieerde lantbouwers, houthackers, thuijn, en stalknechten &a. op haer geduijrich aenhouden om verbeteringh van costgelt off alsulcke daghloonen als rechtevoort de soldaten alle weeken ontfangen mede te mogen genieten plat affgeslagen, en wegh geweesen hebben, ten aensien wij well wisten dat de meeste part derselver soo in gagie als costgelt (om haer arbeijts wil) alreede behoorlijck verbetert waren, en daerom oock geen deelgenoten aen alsulcke soldaten dachloonen voor extra-ordinare diensten wesen conden, Soo hebben ons echter gisteren alle de timmerlieden, metselaers, smits &a. de novo bij request comen versoecken, dat wij haer dan ten minsten sodanige verbeteringen van gagie maendelijcx in contant wilden laten toecomen als voor desen bij sommige Commissarissen alhier boven haer uijtgebrachte maentgelden met off sonder nieuw verbant bedongen hadden, gelijck oock hard daer op gestaen, en sulcx gansch ernstelijck versocht hebben, alle de voorsz lantbouw-knechten die buijten in des E. Comps. groote coornschuijr, en voornamentlijck de houthackers, die achter en tusschen ‘t geberchte in de bossen bescheijden zijn, sustinerende dat sulcke extra-ordinarie beloningh niemant beter als sijluijden alleen verdienden, off dat wij anders deselve wilden toestaen, dat mede binnen comen, en oock sulcke dachgelden aen dese te maken nieuwe fortresse51 verdienen mochten, dewijle sijlieden met sodanigen swaren werck als dagelijcx doen mosten, op soo een geringh soldaten costgelt van 28 dubbeltjes ter maent niet leven en conden.
Soo is ‘t dat als nu die saeck bij ons wat nader aengemerct, en behoorlijck overwogen zijnde, eenparich geresolveert, verstaen, en beslooten hebben, dat wij niet alleen de voorsz ambachts-gesellen, maer oock de geene, die daer buijten bescheijden zijn, en tot noch toe geen vermeerderingh in gagie noch costgelt genoten hebben, op haer iterative versouken, een weijnich tegemoet gaen, en aen een ijder die te goet heeft, en des begeert een rijcxdaelder off drie gulden licht gelt voortaen alle maenden in contant op sijn lopende reeckeningh verstrecken sullen.
Ende vermits wij oock in der daet bevinden, dat de voorsz lantbouw, doch voornamelijck de boslieden (die het timmerhout in vervaerlijcke steen-bergh-klooven opsoecken, vellen, en besnoeijen moeten) den alder swaersten arbeijt alhier daermede comen te doen, is insgelijcx te deser vergaderingh verstaen, dat aen de geene die noch niet verbetert zijn, en boven 8 off 9 man niet sterck wesen sullen, ijder sijn uijtgebracht tractement met twee gulden sullen verhogen, te weten die negen gulden heeft, sal voortaen elff, die van 10, sal 12, en die van 11 13 gulden ter maent winnen, sonder meer, mits daer voor dan oock sullen gehouden wesen, bij alsulcken werck, ten minsten soo lange te blijven, tot dat hare lopende verbanden, volcomentlijck sullen sijn geexpireert.
Aldus gedaen ende geresolveert in ‘t Fort de Goede Hoope, ten dage en jare als boven.
[Signed:] Z. WAGENAER.
[Signed:] ABRAHAM GABBEMA. 1665.
[Signed:] HENDR. LACUS.
[Signed:] CORN. DE CRETSER. Secrets. 1665.
Soo is ‘t dat als nu die saeck bij ons wat nader aengemerct, en behoorlijck overwogen zijnde, eenparich geresolveert, verstaen, en beslooten hebben, dat wij niet alleen de voorsz ambachts-gesellen, maer oock de geene, die daer buijten bescheijden zijn, en tot noch toe geen vermeerderingh in gagie noch costgelt genoten hebben, op haer iterative versouken, een weijnich tegemoet gaen, en aen een ijder die te goet heeft, en des begeert een rijcxdaelder off drie gulden licht gelt voortaen alle maenden in contant op sijn lopende reeckeningh verstrecken sullen.
Ende vermits wij oock in der daet bevinden, dat de voorsz lantbouw, doch voornamelijck de boslieden (die het timmerhout in vervaerlijcke steen-bergh-klooven opsoecken, vellen, en besnoeijen moeten) den alder swaersten arbeijt alhier daermede comen te doen, is insgelijcx te deser vergaderingh verstaen, dat aen de geene die noch niet verbetert zijn, en boven 8 off 9 man niet sterck wesen sullen, ijder sijn uijtgebracht tractement met twee gulden sullen verhogen, te weten die negen gulden heeft, sal voortaen elff, die van 10, sal 12, en die van 11 13 gulden ter maent winnen, sonder meer, mits daer voor dan oock sullen gehouden wesen, bij alsulcken werck, ten minsten soo lange te blijven, tot dat hare lopende verbanden, volcomentlijck sullen sijn geexpireert.
Aldus gedaen ende geresolveert in ‘t Fort de Goede Hoope, ten dage en jare als boven.
[Signed:] Z. WAGENAER.
[Signed:] ABRAHAM GABBEMA. 1665.
[Signed:] HENDR. LACUS.
[Signed:] CORN. DE CRETSER. Secrets. 1665.