Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1912-10-03
EARLY new ENGLAND WAGES



ulate It. They required great deal of
labor in the colonies. There was an I'M
mense amount of work to be done. The
companies that established the settle
ments recognized the need Of skilled men,
They made UP their expeditions. not of
soldiers and adventures, but OF profess
sional men, skilled mechanics, laborers
and farmers. John Endicott. leader Of
the company which settled Salem, was a
skiliful man Of business. He was to re-
ceive $500 a year salary from the COM
many as governor of the settlement. He
was the highest salaried man In the ex-
petition.
Endicott brought with him 100 men,
many of them skilled workers. One of
them, Syrach Miller was cooper and
ceaver. He was to receive $225 for his
first years service and $3.50 for his Sec
ond. He was to provide an assistant and
pay him from his own wages. James
Edmonds, sailor, fisherman and cooper
was to receive $50 from his first years
service and SIS for his second and 800
for his third. Samuel Sharp, who had
charge of the guns and ammunition, was
to receive $50 year for his services
Rev. Francis Higginson, who came
over In 1879. year after Endicott, was
to receive $3.50 a year. and also free pas
sage for himself and his family, his
house room, a parcel Of land, two cows
and other perquistes. Furthermore. In
the event Of his death. the company
was to take care Of his family.
! DR.. John Pratt. who also came over in
1929. was to receive 500 the first year
OF this sum. $125 was for the purchase
of his medicine chest, and the remain
der was for his salary. For the second
year he was to receive 49, and for the
third 500. He was also to have free
passage over, his house room and 1Ol
acres of land.
The general court of Massachusetts
Bay Colony early undertook to regulate
wages by law. In 1880 1t voted:
1T Is ordered that no master car
penter. mason. joiner or bricklayer
shall take over 16 pence a day for their
work. IL they have meat and drink, and
the second sort not to have above /.
pence a day. under pain Of 10 shillings
fine to both giver and receiver"
BY "the second sort" the court meant
unskilled laborers. This early labor Law
was an attempt to establish a maxi
mum wage. 1t was the opposite of the
present-day attempt to establish a min
imum wage. Its purpose was to prevent
workmen charging too much for theil
services. The Colonial magistrates con.
sidered the rights and privileges OF EN-.
ployers superior to those of employees
Six months after this original maximum
wage law was enacted, an amendmen
was adopted. exempting employers from
; fines If they paid more than the lega
amount Of wages. But workmen were
still liable to fine for receiving NOR,
than the amount Of wages fixed by law
and number Of them were actual,
fined After few years. the law wa.
entirely revoked. Men were fined in Ply
mouth as late as 1889 for accepting large,
wages than the law permitted
In 1910 the General Court authorized
D some towns to establish rates Of wage,
for workmen within their townships. '
also authorized constables TO discrimi
D nate between skilled and unskilled work
ers and to Ak their wages accordingly
r The Puritans frownod upon loafers an,
idlers. and the General Court authorize,
: cOnstables to punish them. The cour
n also authorized the towns to appoin
three good men to arbitrate disputes owe
wages which might arise between employ
er and employee.
}. The labor situation In Colonial time
: was made confusing by the employment
of bondmen and slaves. Many OF tn
9 bondmen and bondwomen came fror
u England under contract to serve thei
@ masters for a period of four years. upo
/ consideration Of payment of their pas
J. sage over. Philip English, a wealth
J. Salem merchant, made business {
3 bringing over bondmen and bondwomer
: He had 46 Of them in his charge at on
q time. He could not employ them all. 8
he let the service OF some Of them I
II other merchants.
u The Puritan magistrates considered
y both just and thrifty that criminal
N should be sold into bondage. Hence
re number Of violators OF the Colonial law
10 had to pay their penalty in work. Til
Puritan magistrates also approved OF tn
practice Of whipping servants and slave
atI The enslaving Of the Indians and tn
j. importing OF negroes from the West 1t
ID dies began in early Colonial days. Re-
ID Hugh Peters wrote to Governor Winthro
II in 1887. asking for dividend" In SON
a Pequot Indian chptives. He espresso
l. preference for "A young woman. or a be
\, and a girl" He also spoke of "son
,e boys from Bermuda" In 1889 a numbt
10 Of Pequot Indians were exchanged Il
In negroes from the West Indies. Tn
,s was one Of the first slavery transaction
~ In which New Englanders had par
The writer's of Colonial times as we'll {
Id ministers and magistrates. thought sla'
al cry Just and profitable.
Of The General Court of the Massach uset
G. Bay Colony undertook to regulate sla'
cry. as 1t undertook to regulate wage
in church going. styles in apparel and 9th
r things. In 1919 It voted:
ed There shall never be any bond SLAYER
N. villianag" of captivity among US unle
Il. It be lawful captves taken In just wa
he and such strangers as willingly 81
rk themselves or are sold to us. This e
he Iempts from servtude none who shall
Nv Judged thereto by authority
"a There were too many Ioop-h holes in tn
ar early anti-slavery law to make 1t effe
-, tive. The number OF slaves In Mass
~, chusetts steadily increased until short
40 before 17bO there were about 5000 slav
here in the State As late as 1742 the fe
-, lowing advertisement appeared In Il
Q" Boston News Letter:
"A negro woman to be sold by [
printer OF this paper. the very best neg
g" In town; who has had the smallpox al
~ measles: Is as healthy as a horse.
80 brisk as bird. and will work like
or beaver"
n Wages of women were very low
MI Colonial times. They ranged from
es' to SIS a year and board. Most WON