Kuxkränzler
The Kuxkränzler , also Kuxcränzler or Kuxenkranzler, was a sworn broker in the mining industry who, as a negotiator for the trades, handled their financial transactions. In addition to the sworn in Kuxkränzler there were also sworn in Kuxkränzler, who were often called by their first names, especially in Westphalia (e.g. Kuxenpeter, Kuxenkasper or Kuxen-Wilm).
Duties and exercise of office
The main task of the Kuxkränzler was to mediate that the mining shares or entire collieries were sold. For the sales, the Kuxkränzler received a tip from the sellers as a reward. During his work, the Kuxkränzler was officially obliged to inform the buyers of the share certificates about the condition of the mines and their current value. The state of the mines and the further development for the next four weeks was previously determined and recorded by the mountain jury during a visit . It was recorded for the respective mine whether a yield was to be expected.
To carry out these tasks it was necessary for the Kuxkränzler to travel around the country. This "traveling around in circles" was referred to as curling , which probably also led to the job title. In addition, he was present at the mining office for the quarterly calculation of the yield of the respective yield mines. When selling the Kuxe, only the price set by the seller could be asked. Since a high level of trust was placed in the office and in the statements made by the Kuxkränzler, the Kuxkränzler was punishably forbidden to conduct the Kux trade dishonestly. So he was not allowed to convince anyone to buy or sell Kuxen or in any other way maliciously deceive.
The negotiations
In the negotiations for the sale of the Kux, several buyers and sellers usually met with the Kuxkränzler as negotiator. The negotiations then proceeded according to a fixed scheme. There was a special mode of negotiation in the Harz mining district . Both negotiating partners had to have or want to acquire Kux shares in a mine. Now either the provider of the Kux wrote the price he wanted for the Kux, or the buyer wrote the price he was willing to pay for a Kux, invisible to his counterpart on a plate. This plate was then put down so that no one could see the price. Whoever picked up the plate was forced to default and had to act. By picking up the plate, the trade was made, the Kux offerer received, when he had written down the price, the purchase price demanded by him from the buyer and the buyer received the Kux. The buyer had to reimburse the purchase price he had set once he had written down the price and received the share certificate. After the negotiations, the person who wrote the price was reimbursed a commission from the person who entered into the trade. The amount of this commission was based on the importance of the trade.
Abuse of office
Despite the strict laws, it often happened that the Kuxkränzler resorted to illegal means. This was probably due to the type of payment, which often depended on the seller's discretion. On the other hand, the operation of the mines was associated with high costs for wages, materials and taxes , which the shareholders could often no longer bear. Because of these costs, there were frequent interruptions in operations. In order to win new shareholders for these mines, additional Kuxe were often sold. The Kuxkränzler were also often paid with additional operating fees. This so-called "Kuxkränzler nuisance" was prohibited by law. In the event of fraud, there was a risk of between four and eight weeks in prison and reimbursement of the damage caused. An expulsion from the country was also possible for several years - in particularly severe cases, an unlimited expulsion from the country was also possible.
Kuxpartierer
In addition to the Kuxkränzler, there were also some fraudsters who sold the buyers worthless mining shares or who fraudulently cheated on the shareholders of their good Kuxes, thereby depriving people of their money. Kuxe were also sold by these fraudsters, known as Kuxpartierer , for whom there were no mines at all. The Kuxpartierer appeared in miner's clothes and pretended to be miners or trades. In order to arouse the interest of buyers in their frauds, they carried one or more mineral specimens with them as evidence of the rich ore veins of the mines, which they showed to those interested in buying. This fraudulent trade was favored by the legal situation at the time, so every shareholder was free to sell his kuxe himself. Due to the fraudulent machinations of the Kuxpartierer many buyers were deterred from buying good Kuxe. To the fraudulent trading of Kuxpartierer to prohibit, appropriate decrees were adopted first by the state governments and from the upper mountain offices published in the newspapers. In Austria, for example, a court chamber decree was issued on April 21, 1762, which pointed to the fraudulent machinations of the Kuxpartierer. If the Kuxpartierer could be convicted, they were sentenced to a prison term of four to eight weeks, and they had to reimburse the illegally appropriated purchase price. If a Kuxpartierer was unable to reimburse the purchase price, he was expelled from the country for several years after serving in prison. If the damage caused by the fraud was particularly high, there was a risk of unlimited expulsion from the country - the so-called Staupenschlag .
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Mining dictionary. Johann Christoph Stößel, Chemnitz 1778.
- ↑ a b c d Explanatory dictionary of technical terms and foreign words used in mining, metallurgy and salt works. Falkenberg'schen Buchhandlung publishing house, Burgsteinfurt 1869.
- ↑ a b c d e f g Johann Georg Krünitz: Economic technological encyclopedia, or general system of state, town, house and agriculture, and the history of art, in alphabetical order. The seventh and fiftieth part, printed by the printer, book and art dealer Joseph Georg Traßler, Brno 1794
- ^ Johann Samuel Schröter: Mineral and mining dictionary on frames, words and things from mineralogy and mining science. First volume, by Barrentrapp and Wenner, Frankfurt am Main 1789.
- ^ Heinrich Veith: German mountain dictionary with evidence. Published by Wilhelm Gottlieb Korn, Breslau 1871.
- ^ Society of practical miners (ed.): New scene of mining science with consideration of the latest advances and discoveries. Seventh part, printed and published by Gottfried Basse, Quedlinburg and Leipzig 1847
- ^ A b Franz Anton Schmidt: Chronological-systematic collection of the mining laws of the Austrian monarchy. From the kk Hof- und Staats Aerarial Druckerey, Vienna 1835