From the first harvesting season, some accrued a rather vast quantity of wealth. These men started buying up plots of land around them. The men that the faction belonged to were known as landowners. They were much easier to deal with ordinary trekkers, who would uproot themselves if they were displeased with his rule. But they were intending to settle down and build up the town with him. But they wanted privileges in doing so.
"We're not like the Aristocrats of the medieval ages or like the burghers of the Dutch East India Company. We are open to new ways of running our farmland. Because I have heard from some sources that you're an abolitionist. Is that true?"
Jan nodded, and the Dutch landowner continued.
"That's good. Because you see, I do not want to be like a king and clothe, feed, and manage slaves. Others might have other thoughts on the matter, but that is my thoughts. Although to placate them, I don't see you changing the current slavery laws anytime soon."
"Alright then, enough small talk. Let us discuss why I have called you over. On behalf of the various landowners, I, Hein Hindriks, am wondering how you will deal with the current rumours spreading around. The one where the woman is abused by her husband, and there is little her family could do about it. Some of us have daughters, and we worry about their welfare. I do not have much wealth like the aristocrats of Europe, so I am unable to procure a sizeable dowry. So how will you protect our daughters?"
Jan pretended to be in deep thought, before explaining his thoughts.
"I'm planning to allow women to have property rights. That way, the husband will not be able to possess all of their wife's property upon the marriage. This would allow the wives to be protected from unhappy marriages. That way if a divorce is proposed, the wife will not have everything taken from her."
Hein scratched his beard.
"That may not do. I know a good many men who benefit from such arrangements. They are likely to oppose such measures being implemented. Those rumours might have sparked some people to support this, but I doubt it can be implemented without another revolt. These men are likely to instigate unrest."
"Do you want to protect your daughters or not? Do you have the funds to procure a suitable dowry to ensure their protection? Then support me and prevent these men from creating turmoil in the town. Work with me here, and we will both benefit."
Hein sighed.
"I do not have much influence as we've recently accrued our wealth and land. There is not much I can say to stop them. Why don't you mobilize the men if things go south?"
Jan looked to the side, looking at the window.
"You should know very well I have little influence among the rural farmers. If I mobilize them, I doubt much of them would show up on my side. They will likely join the people revolting."
"My hands are tied."
"Then you can continue to keep them tied along with your daughters' welfare. Come to me once you're ready to untie them."
Giving women property rights would likely increase the workforce. Instead of men managing their estates, their wives could manage them in their stead, and these wealthy men would invest in rather businesses, becoming capitalists. Then he could rely on their funds for new construction projects instead of constantly digging through the very limited budget on funding various projects.
The rat bumped the other rat with its tail.
"Commando Jan, this is my Prussian cousin, Eilert Biermann. He has set up a small mining firm called German Mining Co," The land surveyor, Bastion Haneke explained.
"Ze name is still subject to changes. But I've decided to go with German Mining Co."
"It's a stupid name."
"Ratfrica Mining Co is stupid. You don't even do mining!"
"It's to trick others into thinking I could do so, so they would try to undercut me too harshly."
"So, you've shown him the site? What do you think?" Jan asked.
"Acceptable start. We could mine for a few months. The output will be low since we lack English mining machinery. Have to go with good old hand and pick," Eilert explained.
"My cousin is willing to fork a rather generous sum for mining rights considering how far out we are from Industries that would consume coal." Bastion continued.
"Consider it as an investment in ze future. Finding one mineral deposit would likely lead to more mineral deposits. I hope ze Dutchman would keep this Prussian rat in mind."
Jan nodded.
"When can you all start work?"
"We gotta import some mining picks and get some workers. Then we have to build a supply chain to keep the whole thing running smoothly. Give us a month or two before we can start operations."
"Machinery? You want to British machinery for mines?" The Belgian machinist merchant asked, confirming Jan's words.
"Well, you come to the right man. Those British capitalists charge stupidly absurd prices for their precious machinery. We're already torn down a couple and figured out how they work. Belgian machinery is much cheaper, and considering how well you treated my associate, Siebe, I might be inclined to give you a discount. Tell me what you plan to do with the machinery first."
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Jan explained about the new mining operations he was intending to set up.
"A new mining operation and you plan to go all out with machinery? Sounds like a poor idea, to be honest. It is best to let the mine operate for a couple of months so you could identify gaps in productivity that can be plugged with machinery. For example, for mines that stretched for kilometres, you may want railcars to bring the minerals out from the mine easily. Tsk Tsk."
The Belgian clicked his tongue.
"I can tell you all of the machinery that could be used to supercharge your operations but come to me once you've set up the mining operations and you're seeking to expand it. The last thing I need is a customer looking for me for a refund because their mines went bankrupt.
"We got some orders for our canned food. And we're looking for additional funds to expand the business," Canned food factory manager, Siebe Baert explained.
"Shouldn't their orders help cover the cost?"
"They weren't willing to pay upfront, wanting to pay once their goods were delivered. Said that since the workshop was a new business, they didn't want to take too much risk if it collapsed."
"Lucky for you, I know men with money to spare."
The individual he had called over to today's meeting was the wealthy landowner, Hein Hindriks who marvelled at the various machinery in the workshop.
"How can I help, Commando Jan?" He asked as he greeted Jan whilst entering the room.
"Hein, this is Siebe Baert, the Belgian owner of this canned food workshop."
"And Siebe, this is Hein Hindriks, a wealthy landowner in town."
The men exchanged greetings and sat back down.
"I've tried your canned food. It was rather delicious. And the fact I could bring it with me wherever I go without worrying about spoilage, it's marvellous."
"It might be marvellous, but it is rather expensive. That's why I'm looking to have some funds to expand production to drive costs down. Various merchants are clamouring to lay their hands on it due to its various usages. But first and foremost, due to its prohibitive cost, it now stands as a luxury good. But I wish to drive costs down so that its more practical usages can be realized."
"I can foot the bill, but how much of a stake in the business you're willing to give?"
The men hashed various details and Jan stood at the side overseeing it.
"Commando Jan, as the man spearheading this, shouldn't you also be involved? Why don't you also invest your funds in this operation?" Hein asked.
Jan shook his head.
"I'm not very familiar with the business, I fear I may overstep my boundaries and inadvertently destroy the whole operation in the process."
"You could buy a small stake then. You wouldn't need to make many decisions on a day-to-day basis, leave it to the people who are experienced in doing so," Siebe explained.
"Very well, how much can I buy?" Jan's lips curled up.
Hashing out an agreement, Jan and Hein walked back home where they began discussing other matters.
"Commando Jan, I have discussed this with the other landowners. They were willing to support your measures. Push comes to shove, if unrest were to come from anyone, we will do our best to stifle them," The landowner explained.
"So, are you supportive of such measures also being applied to other species? Like elves or rats?"
The Dutch landowner looked at Jan as if he was asking a stupid question.
"To be honest, I doubt much would care how other species lived. But if you wish to push this for other species, go ahead, I doubt much of the men in this town would stop you."
"Then prepare for an edict being put up in the town in the coming weeks, I am counting on you to suppress most of the unrest."
MARRIED WOMEN PROPERTY ACT
A husband and a wife are two separate legal entities. They have the right to sue and be sued. Any damages that they must pay are their responsibility. They are also liable for their debts and are subject to bankruptcy laws. They are also able to own stock in their names.
All husbands and wives are allowed to own, buy, and sell their properties.
Penning the act to paper, Jan realised he forgot to do one very important thing, and that was to set up a legal system! Well, at the very least, they could start up their laws with this act.
"Might be best to get a lawyer to oversee this. Although I don't think it will be easy to find one here. Much of the rule of law is based on the popular opinion of the town," Head of Administration, Russell Corbyn remarked.
"We have no lawyers here?"
"To be fair, we lack courts. Or even laws to enforce. Any farmer could proclaim themselves as a lawyer."
"Once we push this through. Let's just say there are going to be many self-proclaimed lawyers in town going to argue against this."
Jan handed the act to Russell who sent it to their propagandist, the daughter of a merchant family owning Printing Presses, who gleefully began printing them out in vast quantities.
"We can easily enact that. Get me the latest copy of English law and a lawyer. We're going go through them one by one and cross out the things I don't like."
He sent some bureaucrats to Port Natal to procure an English lawyer for him.
But when the lawyer came and brought hundreds of papers explaining how some laws contradicted each other and the current law trends, Jan's head exploded.
"Alright. I tell you what. We'll copy English laws. If there is a violation of that law, I will decide personally if we shall enforce it. And from there, we can cross out the laws we do not wish to enforce."
The English lawyer smirked.
"That is good. But for the time to bring me over here as well as the consultation, I have just given you. I wish for suitable compensation, Commando. You're not a poor peasant, you're a Commando. And if you're unwilling to pay, I shall look for your father and tell the whole world how you're someone who does not honour their words."
Fuck. This is why he hated lawyers.
Jan sighed, "Very well. You will be aptly compensated for the trouble I've brought upon you."
When the town first heard the act, some twisted the meaning of that law.
"The act harms women! Now their husbands are unable to protect them, and they'll have to be responsible for any debts they owed!" The Boers argued in Dutch.
The landowners did their part and hired men to barrack these men and argue with them.
"What do you mean? If your wife takes out debt without your permission, are you willing to foot the bill? Maybe if it's 5 shillings you wouldn't complain. But what if it's 1-pound sterling? Can you even afford the interest with your shit farmer income!"
Of course, they held the line.
"Women need guardians! They can't be responsible for themselves! That's why this law ultimately harms them in the end!"
"If they can be responsible for your children, then I don't see how they can't be responsible for themselves! If what you say is true, then maybe you should take care of your children instead of leaving the responsibility to your wife!"
They went back and forth for a few days until the fervour dribbled out as the farmers carried on with their lives, realizing that the law didn't change much of their daily lives that much.
Thanks to the landowners, they were unable to rile up the people to turn their ire against him. With a silent thanks to Hein, he pushed it through. But even with the law being enacted, there wasn't much he could do to enforce it. The current system of justice was someone complaining about him. Jan then sends a couple of bureaucrats to investigate it. They tell him what they found, and he decides on a verdict.
He needed a proper police force to enforce it.
And the landowners were willing to pitch in. They were willing to fund their force to protect their property. And they were willing to provide that force to him to police his laws. The only problem with such an action was that it would give the landowners too much power. And he didn't want to give them too much power. He already had problems dealing with the very powerful rural class of his population and had to rely on the newly formed landowners as a counterbalance to these farmers. He did not want the landowners to become a thorn on his side.
The other option was more expensive. A dedicated police force fully funded by him. His budget was going to be eaten by the new government officials hired, but they were necessary to prevent any sort of corruption. If the landowner were involved, they were planning to profit from it somehow. No, if he roped in any political group to manage his police force, one way or another, they were going to find some way to profit from it. After all, the police force ultimately aimed for stability in this town so that he, Commando Jan Boddewijk profited. He cannot allow other political entities to pollute it.
The best thing he could do would be to start a small operation at first. They would be somewhat better paid than what subsistence farmers make so they could be enticed into living in the urban areas. It would also help cover rent or the construction of a new building for them to live in.
Drafting up a proposal, he handed it to Russell who looked over it.
"Even if we put one together, what laws should they start enforcing?"
"Perhaps let us start with littering. Those farmers whose cattle poop in the streets should be made to clean up their mess. Perhaps a couple of fines on them who made much from their harvest would be well deserved. Those fines could also go to fund this initial force."
"Won't the men be incentivised to give out as many fines as possible?"
"Better than them being incentivised to collect as many bribes as possible."