Shipwrights, Newly Revised Order of the. Given Hamburg April 3, 1788. In German. With floral woodcut vignette at the beginning and equal closing vignette with city’s arms held by two lions. Hamburg, Carl Wilhelm Meyn, (1788). Sm. 4to. 4 unnumbered ll. Uncut.

“ A Highly Noble Council has heard, by the just complaints of the merchants here, with particular discontent: that the shipbuilding, a generally especially useful and very old line of subsistence of this city,

irrespective  of  the  bounty  hitherto  given  for  any  ship  built  here

and irrespective of other … benefits,

decreases  more  and  more  and  were  close  to  the  complete  collapse .

After conducted examination … One Highly Noble Council finds its main source in the official compulsion and in some deficiencies, or an unfair interpretation of the Order of Shipwrights published in the year 1712. The same thus has …

to  abolish  official  customs , so  against  common  sense

and  the  general  interest  of  this  city  and  her  commerce … ”

With repeated reference to the order of 1712 regulating in 8 sections the general working hours for day-laborers including two hours lunch-hour and their obligation of paying the weekly duty to the chamber of handicrafts, the regulation of disputes, the appointment of masters and the number of apprentices these may engage at most. Also “everyone is free to engage, in consent with the official patron, here, or abroad, from wherever it may be, other capable men for their work … With those the one from here are obliged to go at one and the same ship, at one and the same work, just as the masters will order such, and to complete such”. Also the workers may only leave before the fulfillment of the work taken up by presentation of a muster-roll or equivalent certification by the Wasserschouts.

Decisive point, however, the release of the standard wage fixed already by the respective order of 1631,

“ so that not, as hitherto, for the outmost disadvantage of this profession, has happened, the idle and ignorant worker is assured of a wage not appropriate to his work,

the  industrious  and  proficient  however  is  left  without  any  preference  and  encouragement ,

and  therefore  also  all  eagerness  is  suppressed ;

so the legal fixing of daily pay … is completely released by this … With this daily pay fixed, with mutual consent, the matter rests until the agreed time will have passed. ”

On the full, on all sides untrimmed, twice folded sheet of laid paper with large crown and typographic watermark and, except for light foxing spots on the title, of generally great freshness.
Offer no. 28,836 / EUR  168. (c. US$ 217.) + shipping