首页
Elements of Political Economy
书架
书页 | 目录
加书签

第2章
21832字

(2。ii。6)Itisveryevident,thattheshareofthetwopartiesisthesubjectofabargainbetween

them;andifthereisabargain,itisnotdifficulttoseeonwhatthetermsofthebargainmust

depend。Allbargains,whenmadeinfreedom,aredeterminedbycompetition,andthetermsalter

accordingtothestateofsupplyanddemand。

(2。ii。7)Letusbeginbysupposingthatthereisacertainnumberofcapitalists,withacertain

quantityoffood,rawmaterial,andinstruments,ormachinery;thatthereisalsoacertainnumber

oflabourers;andthattheproportion,inwhichthecommoditiesproducedaredividedbetween

them,hasfixeditselfatsomeparticularpoint。

(2。ii。8)Letusnextsuppose,thatthelabourershaveincreasedinnumberonehalf,without

any

increaseinthequantityofcapital。Thereisthesamequantityoftherequisitesforthe

employmentoflabour;thatis,offood,tools,andmaterial,astherewasbefore;butforevery100

labourerstherearenow150。Therewillbe50men,therefore,indangerofbeingleftoutof

employment。Topreventtheirbeingleftoutofemploymenttheyhavebutoneresource;they

mustendeavourtosupplantthosewhohaveforestalledtheemployment;thatis,theymustoffer

toworkforasmallerreward。Wages,therefore,decline。

(2。ii。9)Ifwesuppose,ontheotherhand,thatthequantityofcapitalhasincreased,whilethe

numberoflabourersremainsthesame,theeffectwillbereversed。Thecapitalistshaveagreater

quantitythanbeforeofthemeansofemployment;ofcapital,inshort;fromwhichtheywishto

deriveadvantage。Toderivethisadvantagetheymusthavemorelabourers。Toobtainthem,they

alsohavebutoneresource,toofferhigherwages。Butthemastersbywhomthelabourersare

nowemployedareinthesamepredicament,andwillofcourseofferhighertoinducethemto

remain。Thiscompetitionisunavoidable,and。thenecessaryeffectofitisariseofwages。

(2。ii。10)Itthusappears,that,ifpopulationincreases,withoutanincreaseofcapital,wages

fall;

andthat,ifcapitalincreases,withoutanincreaseofpopulation,wagesrise。Itisevident,also,

thatifbothincrease,butonefasterthantheother,theeffectwillbethesameasiftheonehad

notincreasedatall,andtheotherhadmadeanincreaseequaltothedifference。Suppose,for

example,thatpopulationhasincreasedone—eighth,andcapitalone—eighth;thisisthesamething

asiftheyhadstoodstill,withregardtotheeffectuponlabour。Butsupposethat,inadditionto

theabove—mentionedone—eighth,populationbadincreasedanothereighth,theeffect,inthat

case,uponwages,wouldbethesameasifcapitalhadnotincreasedatall,andpopulationhad

increasedone—eighth。

(2。ii。11)Universally,then,wemayaffirm,that,otherthingsremainingthesame,iftheratio

whichcapitalandpopulationbeartooneanotherremainsthesame,wageswillremainthesame;

iftheratiowhichcapitalbearstopopulationincreases,wageswillrise;iftheratiowhich

populationbearstocapitalincreases,wageswillfall。

(2。ii。12)Fromthislaw,clearlyunderstood,itiseasytotracethecircumstanceswhich,inany

country,determinetheconditionofthegreatbodyofthepeople。Ifthatconditioniseasyand

comfortable,allthatisnecessarytokeepitso,is,tomakecapitalincreaseasfastaspopulation;

or,ontheotherhand,topreventpopulationfromincreasingfasterthancapital。Ifthatcondition

isnoteasyandcomfortable,itcanonlybemadeso,byoneoftwomethods;eitherbyquickening

therateatwhichcapitalincreases,orretardingtherateatwhichpopulationincreases;

augmenting,inshort,theratiowhichthemeansofemployingthepeoplebeartothenumberof

people。

(2。ii。13)Ifitwerethenaturaltendencyofcapitaltoincreasefasterthanpopulation,there

would

benodifficultyinpreservingaprosperousconditionofthepeople。If,ontheotherhand,itwere

thenaturaltendencyofpopulationtoincreasefasterthancapital,thedifficultywouldbevery

great。Therewouldbeaperpetualtendencyinwagestofall。Theprogressivefallofwageswould

produceagreaterandagreaterdegreeofpovertyamongthepeople,attendedwithitsinevitable

consequences,miseryandvice。Aspoverty,anditsconsequentmiseryincreased,mortality

wouldalsoincrease。Ofanumerousfamilyborn,acertainnumberonly,fromwantofthemeans

ofwell—being,wouldbereared。Bywhateverproportionthepopulationtendedtoincreasefaster

thancapital,suchaproportionofthosewhowerebornwoulddie:theratioofincreaseincapital

andpopulationwouldthenremainthesame,andthefallofwageswouldproceednofarther。

(2。ii。14)Thatpopulationhasatendencytoincreasefaster,than,inmostplaces,capitalhas

actuallyincreased,isproved,incontestably,bytheconditionofthepopulationinmostpartsof

theglobe。lnalmostallcountries,theconditionofthegreatbodyofthepeopleispoorand

miserable。Thiswouldhavebeenimpossible,ifcapitalhadincreasedfasterthanpopulation。In

thatcasewagesmusthaverisen;andhighwageswouldhaveplacedthelabourerabovethe

miseriesofwant。

(2。ii。15)Thisgeneralmiseryofmankindisafact,whichcanbeaccountedfor,uponone

onlyof

twosuppositions:eitherthatthereisanaturaltendencyinpopulationtoincreasefasterthan

capital,orthatcapitalhas,bysomemeans,beenpreventedfromincreasingsofastasithasa

tendencytoincrease。This,therefore,isaninquiryofthehighestimportance。

2。ProofofthetendencyofPopulationtoincreaserapidly(2。ii。16)Thenaturaltendencyofpopulationtoincreaseistobecollectedfromtwosetsof

circumstances;thephysiologicalconstitutionofthefemaleofthehumanspecies;andthe

statementsrespectingtherateofincreaseindifferentcountries。

(2。ii。17)Thefactsrespectingthephysiologicalconstitutionofthehumanfemalearewell

ascertained,andareindubitablegroundsofconclusion。Thestatementsrespectingtherateof

increaseindifferentcountrieswillbefoundtobe,eithersuppositionswithrespecttomattersof

fact,upontheconformityofwhichsuppositionstoanyrealmattersoffactwecanhaveno

assurance;orstatementsoffacts,ofsuchanature,asprovenothingwithregardtothepointsin

dispute。

(2。ii。18)Thatthepossiblerateofincreaseinthenumbersofmankinddependsuponthe

constitutionofthefemale,willnotbedisputed。Thefacts,whicharefullyascertainedinregard

tothefemaleofthehumanspecies,andtheinferenceswhichthesciencesofphysiologyand

comparativeanatomyenableustoderivefromtheanalogyofotheranimals,whoseanatomyand

physiologyresemblethoseofthehumanspecies,affordthemeansofverysatisfactory

conclusionsonthissubject。

(2。ii。19)Thefemalesofthosespeciesofanimals,whoseperiodandmodeofgestationare

similartothoseofthefemaleofourownspecies,andwhichbringforthoneatabirth,are

capable,whenplacedinthemostfavourablecircumstances,ofabirtheveryyear,fromthetime

whenthepowerofproducingbegins,tillthetimewhenitends,omittingoneyearnowandthen,

which,atthemost,amountstoaverysmallproportiononthewhole。

(2。ii。20)Thesucklingoftheinfant,inthecaseofthefemaleofthehumanspecies,if

continued

morethanthreemonths,hasatendencytopostponetheepochofconceptionbeyondtheperiod

ofayear。This,itistobeobserved,istheonlyphysiologicalpeculiaritywhichauthorizesan

inferenceofanydifferenceinthefrequencyofthebirthsinthecaseofthefemaleofthehuman

species,andinthatofthoseotherspeciestowhichwehavereferred。

(2。ii。21)Toreasoncorrectly,weshouldmakeanallowanceforthatpeculiarity。Letsuch

ample

allowancebemadeaswillincludeallinterruptions;letussaythatonebirthintwoyearsis

naturaltothefemaleofthehumanspecies。InEurope,towhichwemayatpresentconfineour

observations,theperiodofchildbearinginwomenextends,fromsixteenorseventeen,to

forty—five,yearsofage。Letusmakestillmoreallowance,andsayitextendsonlyfromtwentyto

forty

yearsofage。Inthatperiod,attheallowanceoftwoyearstoonebirth,thereistimeforten

births,whichmayberegardedasnotmorethanthenumbernaturaltothefemaleofthehuman

species。

(2。ii。22)Underfavourablecircumstances,themortalityamongchildrenisverysmall。

Mortality

amongthechildrenofverypoorpeopleisunavoidable,fromwantofthenecessarymeansof

health。Amongthechildrenofpeopleineasycircumstances,whoknowandpractisetherulesfor

thepreservationofhealth,themortalityissmall;andtherecanbenodoubt,that,undermore

skilfulmodesofmanagingthefood,andclothing,theair,theexercise,andeducationof

children,eventhismortalitywouldbegreatlydiminished。

(2。ii。23)Wemayconclude,therefore,that,inthemostfavourablecircumstances,tenbirths

are

themeasureoffecundityinthefemaleofthehumanspecies;andthatofthechildrenborna

smallproportionwoulddiebeforetheageofmaturity。Foroccasionalinstancesofbarrenness,

andforthissmalldegreeofmortality,letusmakemuchmorethanthenecessaryallowance,a

deductionofone—half;andsay,Thateveryhumanpair,unitedatanearlyage,commandingafull

supplyofthingsnecessaryforphysicalwelfare,exemptfromthenecessityofoppressivelabour,

andsufficientlyskilledtomakethebestuseoftheircircumstancesforpreventingdiseaseand

mortalityamongthemselvesandtheirchildren,would,onewithanother,rearfivechildren。If

thisisthecase,itisneedlesstoexhibitanaccuratecalculation,toshowthatpopulationwould

doubleitselfinsomemoderateportionofyears。Itisevident,atonce,thatitwoulddoubleitself

inasmallnumberofyears。

(2。ii。24)Tomeetaconclusionsowellestablishedasthis,recoursehasbeenhadtocertain

tables,

respectingpopulation,andrespectingbirthsanddeaths,invariouscountries。Thereasoningfrom

thesetablesevadesthepointindispute。Iknownotableswhichexhibitanything,evenifwe

givethem,whattheyneverdeserve,creditforexactness,exceptthemerefactwithregardtothe

stateofincrease。Theyshow,orpretendtoshow,whetheracertainpopulationisincreasingor

notincreasing;and,ifincreasing,atwhatrate。But,ifitappeared,fromsuchtables,thatthe

populationofeverycountryintheworldwerestationary,noman,capableofreasoning,would

infer,thatthehumanraceisincapableofincreasing。Everybodyknowsthefact,thatinthe

greaternumberofcountries,thepopulationisstationary,ornearlyso。Butwhatdoesthisprove,

solongaswearenotinformed,bywhatcausesitispreventedfromincreasing?Weknowwell,

thattherearetwocauses,bywhichitmaybepreventedfromincreasing,howgreatsoeverits

naturaltendencytoincrease。Theoneispoverty;underwhich,letthenumberbornbewhatit

may,allbutacertainnumberundergoaprematuredestruction。Theotherisprudence;bywhich

eithermarriagesaresparinglycontracted,orcareistakenthatchildren,beyondacertain

number,shallnotbethefruit。Itisuselesstoinformus,thatthereislittleornoincreaseof

populationincertaincountries,ifwereceivenot,atthesametime,accurateinformationofthe

degreeinwhichpoverty,orprudence,orothercauses,operatetopreventit。

(2。ii。25)Thatpopulation,therefore,hassuchatendencytoincreaseaswouldenableitto

double

itselfinasmallnumberofyears,isapropositionrestingonthestrongestevidence,which

nothingworththenameofevidencehasbeenbroughttocontrovert。

3。ProofthatcapitalhasalesstendencythanPopulationto

increaserapidly(2。ii。26)Wecomenexttoconsiderthetendencywhichcapitalmayhavetoincrease。Ifthat

shouldincreaseasfastaspopulation,alongwitheverylabourerproduced,themeansof

employmentandsubsistencewouldalsobeproduced;andnodegradationofthegreatbodyof

thepeoplewouldbetheconsequence。

(2。ii。27)Thoughitisfound,wherepropertyissecure,thatthereisaconsiderabledisposition

in

mankindtosave;sufficient,wherevastconsumptionisnotmadebythegovernment,andwhere

thedifficultiesofproductionarenotverygreat,tomakecapitalprogressive;thisdispositionis

stillsoweak,inalmostallthesituationsinwhichhumanbeingshaveeverbeenplaced,asto

maketheincreaseofcapitalslow。

(2。ii。28)Theannualproduceisalwaysdistributedinsuchamanner,that,eitherthegreat

bodyof

thepeopleareliberallyprovidedwithwhatisnecessaryforsubsistenceandenjoyment,whenof

courseasmallerportiongoestoswelltheincomesoftherich;or,thegreatbodyofthepeople

arereducedtomerenecessaries,whenthereisnaturallyaclassofpeoplewhoseincomesare

large。Tooneorotherofthesetwocasesthestateofeverycommunityapproximates。

(2。ii。29)1。Inthecase,inwhichthereisaclassreducedtonecessaries,andaclassofrich,it

is

evidentthatthefirsthavenotthemeansofsaving。Aclassofrichmen,inthemiddleofaclass

ofpoor,arenotapttosave。Thepossessionofalargefortunegenerallywhetstheappetitefor

immediateenjoyment。Andthemanwhoisalreadyinpossessionofafortune,yieldinghimall

theenjoymentswhichfortunecancommand,haslittleinducementtosave。Insuchastateofthe

socialorder,anyrapidincreaseofcapitalisopposedbycauseswhichareingeneralirresistible。

(2。ii。30)2。Wearenexttoconsiderthestateofthesocialorder,inwhichalargeshareofthe

annualproduceisdistributedamongthegreatbodyofthepeople。Inthatsituation,neitherthe

classwhichlabours,northatwhichismaintainedwithoutlabouring,hasanyforciblemotivesto

save。

(2。ii。31)Whenamanpossesses,whatwearenowsupposingpossessedbythegreatbodyof

the

people,food,clothing,lodging,andallotherthingssufficientnotonlyforcomfortable,but

pleasurableexistence,hepossessesthemeansofallthesubstantialenjoymentsofhumanlife。

Therestisinagreatmeasurefancy。Therearetwosetsofmen;one,inwhomthereasoning

powerisstrong,andwhoareabletoresistapresentpleasureforagreateronehereafter;another,

inwhomitisweak,andwhocanseldomresistthecharmofimmediateenjoyment。Ofcourse,it

isnotinthelatterclassthatthemotivetosavecanbeexpectedtoprevail。Theclass,ontheother

hand,inwhomreasonissufficientlystrongtoformadueestimateofpleasures,cannotfailto

perceivethatthosewhichtheycanobtainbyaddingpennytopenny,afteralltherationaldesires

aresatisfied,arenotequaltothepleasureswhich,inthecircumstanceswehavesupposed,they

mustrelinquishtoobtainthem。Boththehigherandthelowerprinciplesofournaturearein

suchcircumstancesopposedtoaccumulation。Sofar,astothestrengthofthemotivewhich,in

thesupposedcircumstances,canoperateuponthelabouringclass。

(2。ii。32)Whatremainsoftheannualproduce,aftertheshareofthelabouringclassis

deducted,

iseitherdistributedinlargeportionsamongasmallnumberofveryrichmen,oramongalarge

numberofmenofmoderatefortunes。

(2。ii。33)Wehavealreadyexaminedthestateofthemotivestoaccumulatewhenfortunesare

large;andhavefoundthatitnevercanbesuchastoproduceveryconsiderableeffects。Wehave

nowtoexaminethestateofthemotivestoaccumulate,inasociety,inwhichthereisagreat

numberofmoderatefortunes,withouttheprevalenceoflarge。Inthewayofphysicalenjoyment,

thesefortunesyieldeverythingwhichthelargestfortunescanbestow。Thereareonlytwo

motives,therefore,which,inthissituation,cancounteractthestrongtendencytoimmediate

enjoyment:eitherthedesireofacommandoverthesentimentsofmankind;orthewishtomake

aprovisionforchildren。

(2。ii。34)Thestrengthofthemotivetocommandbyrichesthefavourablesentimentsof

mankind

willdependupontheeffecttheyarecalculatedtoproduce。Thatisdifferent,indifferentstatesof

society。Inthestateofsociety,supposedinthepresentcase,menaredistributedintotwoclasses:

menofeasybutmoderatefortunes;andawellpaidbodyoflabourersandartisans。

(2。ii。35)Thefirstclass;menwithfortunesequaltoallthepurposesnotonlyof

independence,

andofphysicalenjoyment,butoftasteandelegance,andwhoatthesametimeconstitutethe

governingportionofsociety,givingthetonetoitssentimentsandamusements;arenotinthe

situationofmenwhoseimaginationsareapttobedazzledbytheglareofsuperiorriches。The

personsbelongingtothesecond,orlabouringclass,arecringingandservile,wherethefrownof

therichmanisterrible,andhislittlefavoursimportant:butwhentheyareplacedin

circumstanceswhichimpartthefeelingofindependence,andgivethemopportunityforthe

cultivationoftheirminds,theyarelittleaffectedbythesignsofwealth。This,therefore,isastate

ofsocietyinwhichthepossessionofgreatrichesgiveslittlecommandoverthesentimentsof

others,andcannotconstituteapowerfulmotiveforsaving。

(2。ii。36)Withrespecttotheprovisionforchildren,ifamanfeelsnogreatdesiretomakea

larger

thantheordinarymoderatefortuneforhimself,hefeelsaslittledesireattheleasttomakeitfor

hischildren。Theprovision,whichhedesirestomakeforthem,canonly,therefore,besuchasto

placetheminthesamesituationwhich,isheldbyhimself。Hewillbeanxioustoaffordtothem

thesamemeansforbeginninglifeadvantageously,aswereafforded,orwouldhavebeen

desirable,tohimself。Tothisextentthedesireofmakingaprovisionforchildrenmightbe

expectedtobeverygeneral,anditwouldensureacertainmoderateincreaseofcapital。Thismay

thereforebeconsidered,as,perhaps,themostfavourablestateofsocietyforaccumulation;with

theexceptionofthosecasesinwhichcolonists,withalltheknowledgeandpowerofcivilized

life,aretransportedintoacountryuninhabited,ornearlyso,andhavethepowerofcultivating

withoutlimitthemost,productivespeciesofland。Thesearecoincidencessoextraordinary,and

sorare,that,intracingthegenerallawsofhumansociety,itisonlynecessarytoshowthatthey

arenotforgotten。

(2。ii。37)Theseconsiderationsseemtoprovethatmorethanmoderateeffectscanrarelyflow

fromthemotives,toaccumulation。Buttheproof,thatpopulationhasatendencytoincrease

fasterthancapital,doesnotdependuponthisfoundation,strongasitis。Thetendencyof

populationtoincrease,whateveritmaybe,isatanyrateanequabletendency。Atwhatrate

soeverithasincreasedatanyonetime,itmaybeexpectedtoincreaseatanequalrate,ifplaced

inequallyfavourablecircumstances,atanyothertime。Thecasewithcapitalisthereverse。

(2。ii。38)Whether,afterlandofsuperiorqualityhasbeenexhausted,capitalisappliedtonew

landofinferiorquality,orinsuccessivedoseswithdiminishedreturnsuponthesameland,the

produceofitiscontinuallydiminishinginproportiontoitsincrease。Itthereturntocapitalis,

however,continuallydecreasing,theannualfund,fromwhichsavingsaremade,iscontinually

diminishing。Thedifficultyofmakingsavingsisthuscontinuallyaugmented,andatlastthey

musttotallycease。

(2。ii。39)Itthussufficientlyappears,thatthereisatendencyinpopulationtoincreasefaster

than

capital。Ifthisbeestablished,itisofnoconsequencetothepresentpurposetoinquireaboutthe

rapidityoftheincrease。Howslowsoevertheincreaseofpopulation,providedthatofcapitalis

stillslower,wageswillbereducedsolowthataportionofthepopulationwillregularlydieof

want。Neithercanthisdreadfulconsequencebeavertedotherwisethanbytheuseofmeansto

preventtheincreaseofcapitalfromfallingshortofthatofpopulation。

4。Thatforciblemeansemployedtomakecapitalincrease

fasterthanitsnaturaltendencywouldnotproducedesirableeffects(2。ii。40)Therearetwomodesinwhichartificialmeansmaybeemployedtomakepopulation

andcapitalkeeppacetogether:expedientsmaybesought,eithertorestrainthetendencyof

populationtoincrease;ortoacceleratebeyonditsnaturalpacetheincreaseofcapital。

(2。ii。41)Theprincipalmeans,bywhichlegislatureshaveitintheirpowertoalterthecourse

of

humanactions,isbyrewardsandpunishments。Neitherisveryapplicabletothepurposeof

counteractingthetendencyinthehumanspeciestomultiply。Supposealawwereproposedfor

annexingpenaltiestothefatherandmotherofachild,thecircumstancesofwhomwere

inadequatetoitsmaintenance;itwouldnotbeeasytofindamodeofpunishing,whichwouldbe

equaltotheeffect,withoutproducingalmostasmuchuneasinessinsocietyasthatwhichit

wouldproposetoremedy:neitherwoulditbeverypossibletoascertainanddefinethestateof

circumstanceswhichis,andthatwhichisnot,adequatetothemaintenanceofone,ortwo,or

anyothernumberofchildren。Toapplyrewardstothecaseofnothavinganychildren,insucha

mannerastooperateusefullyupontheprincipleofpopulation,wouldbestillmoredifficult。

(2。ii。42)Legislation,incasesilladaptedtoitsdirect,cansometimesproduceconsiderable

effectsbyitsindirectoperation;aswhenadesire,whichgratifiesitselfinahurtfulcourseof

action,andcannoteasilybecounteractedbyrewardandpunishment,isdrawntogratifyitselfin

alesshurtfuloraninnocentdirection。Iflegislatureshavetakenmeasures,astheyveryoften

havedone,sometimesbydirect,morefrequentlybyindirectmeans,tostimulatetheprincipleof

population,suchmischievouslegislationmaybecorrected。

(2。ii。43)Thepowerfulagencyofthepopularsanctionmightinthis,asinothercases,be

turned

togreataccount。Ifanintensedegreeofdisapprobationweredirecteduponthemen,who,by

theirfolly,involvedthemselves,throughagreatfamily,inpovertyanddependence;of

approbationuponthosewho,bytheirselfcommand,preservedthemselvesfromthismiseryand

degradation,muchofthisfollywouldunquestionablybeprevented。

(2。ii。44)Theresulttobeaimedatis,tosecuretothegreatbodyofthepeopleallthe

happiness

whichiscapableofbeingderivedfromthematrimonialunion,withouttheevilswhichatoo

rapidincreaseoftheirnumbersinvolves。Theprogressoflegislation,theimprovementofthe

educationofthepeople,andthedecayofsuperstition,will,intime,itmaybehoped,accomplish

thedifficulttaskofreconcilingtheseimportantobjects。

(2。ii。45)Sucharethemodesinwhichlegislationcanweakenthetendencyinpopulationto

increase。Itremainstoinquirebywhatmeansitcanstrengthenthetendencyincapitalto

increase。Theseare,also,directandindirect。Asthelegislature,ifskilful,hasgreatpowerover

thetastesofthecommunity,itmaycontributetorenderfrugalityfashionable,andexpense

disgraceful。Thelegislaturemayalsoproducethatdistributionofpropertywhichexperience

showstobethemostfavourabletosaving。Sumptuarylawshavebeenadoptedinseveral

countries;butitisnoteasytocontrivesumptuarylaws,theeffectofwhichwouldbevery

considerable,withoutaminuteandvexatiousinterferencewiththeordinarybusinessoflife。

(2。ii。46)Thereiscertainlyonecoursebywhichthelegislaturemightproduceconsiderable

effectsupontheaccumulationofcapital;becauseitmightlayholdofanyportionwhichit

pleasedofthenetproduceoftheyear,andconvertitintocapital。Wehaveonly,therefore,to

inquire,inwhatmannerthiscouldbeperformed,andwhateffectsitwouldproduce。

(2。ii。47)Themodeoftakingwhateverportionitmightfindexpedient,isobviousandsimple。

An

incometax,oftheproperamount,wouldeffectuallyanswerthepurpose。

(2。ii。48)Thelegislaturemightemploythecapital,thusforciblycreated,inoneorotherof

two

ways。itmightlendittobeemployedbyothers:oritmightretaintheemploymentinitsown

hands。

(2。ii。49)Thesimplestmode,perhaps,wouldbe,tolendittothosemanufacturersand

capitalists

whomightapplyforit,andcouldgivesecurityfortherepayment。Theinterestofwhatwasthus

laidoutinoneyearmightbeemployedascapitalthenext。Everyannualportionwouldthus

makecompoundinterest,and,solongasinterestremainedprettyhigh,woulddoubleitselfina

smallnumberofyears。Ifwagesappearedlikelytofall,ahigherincometaxwouldberequired。

Ifwagesrosehigherthanseemedtobenecessaryforthemostdesirableconditionofthe

labourer,theincometaxmightbereduced。

(2。ii。50)Withoutwaitingtoinquire,whetheramachinery,capableofproducingthese

effects,be

orbenotpracticable,wemayproceedtoanotherconsideration,whichseemscalculatedto

decidethemeritsofthescheme。

(2。ii。51)Accordingtotheprogressabovesupposed,theincreaseofpopulationwouldbe

rapid。

Theprogresswouldalsoberapid,intheapplicationofcapitaltolandofaworseandworse

quality,orindosesattendedwithalessandlessreturn。

(2。ii。52)Inproportionascapitalisattendedwithlessandlessofannualreturn,the,owners

of

capitalhavelessandlessincome。Iftheincomefromcapitalbecontinuallydiminished,in

processoftimenonebuttheownersoflargemassesofcapitalwillderivefromitthemeansof

existence。Thisistheextremestateofthingstowhichtheoperationofthescheme,supposingit

notimpracticable,certainlytends。

(2。ii。53)Itremainstoinquirehowfartheseeffectsarebeconsideredasgood。

(2。ii。54)Letussupposethatthecommandofthelaboureroverthearticlesofhis

consumption

remainsunaltered。Thosewhodonotsubsistbythewagesoflabour,liveeitherupontheproduce

ofstock,orupontherentofland。Inthecasesupposed,thetendencyis,toimpoverishthosewho

liveupontheproduceofstock;buttoincreasetherentofland。Withtheexceptionoftheowners

ofland,alltherestofthecommunitywouldbeeitherlabourers,orcapitalistsalmostequally

poor。Asoftenaslandwereofferedtosale,agreatamountofcapitalwouldofcoursebegiven

forit;nobody,therefore,wouldbeabletobuymorethanaverylimitedportion。

(2。ii。55)Inthisstateofthings,salesoflandwouldeitherbefrequent,ortheywouldberare。

Itis

necessarytoconsiderwhatwouldbetheeffectsineithercase。

(2。ii。56)Theeffectswhichwouldariseinthecaseinwhichthesalesoflandwouldberare,

are

simple。Theownersoflandwouldbeacomparativelysmallnumberofrichpeople,inthemidst

ofapopulation,allequally,andhopelessly,poor。Thatthereisscarcelyanystateofsocietyless

conducivetohumanhappiness,weneednotherespendanytimetoprove。

(2。ii。57)Ifsaleswenton,itbeingthenatureofland,asofotherproperty,tochangehands

continually,thewholelandwouldbedivided,atlast,intoverysmallportions;coveredbya

densepopulation,noportionofwhomwouldbeincircumstancesmuchbetterthanthoseofthe

labourer。Isthis,initself,adesirablestateofthings?Isiteitherfollowedorprecededbya

desirablestateofthings?

(2。ii。58)Whenanyofthoseaccidentsoccurbywhichtheannualproduceisforoneyear,ora

fewyears,reducedconsiderablybelowtheusualstandard,inacountryinwhichaconsiderable

proportionofthepeoplehavebetterincomesthanthosewholiveuponwages,considerable

savingsmaybemadefromtheirexpenditure,tomitigatetheeffectsofthedeficiency。Ina

countryinwhichallwerereducedtothestateofwages,anyconsiderablediminutionoftheusual

supplywoulddiffusegeneral,irremediablecalamity。

(2。ii。59)Alltheblessings,whichflowfromthatgrandanddistinguishingattributeofour

nature,

itsprogressiveness,thepowerofadvancingcontinuallyfromonedegreeofknowledge,one

degreeofcommandoverthemeansofhappiness,toanother,seem,inagreatmeasure,todepend

upontheexistenceofaclassofmenwhohavetheirtimeattheircommand;thatis,whoarerich

enoughtobefreedfromallsolicitudewithrespecttothemeansoflivinginacertainstateof

enjoyment。Itisbythisclassofmenthatknowledgeiscultivatedandenlarged;itisalsobythis

classthatitisdiffused;itisthisclassofmenwhosechildrenreceivethebesteducation,andare

preparedforallthehigherandmoredelicatefunctionsofsociety,aslegislators,judges,

administratorsteachers,inventorsinallthearts,andsuperintendentsinallthemoreimportant

works,bywhichthedominionofthehumanspeciesisextendedoverthepowersofnature。

(2。ii。60)Itisalso,inapeculiarmanner,thebusinessofthosewhoseobjectitistoascertain

the

meansofraisinghumanhappinesstoitsgreatestheight,toconsider,whatisthatclassofmenby

whomthegreatesthappinessisenjoyed。Itwillnotprobablybedisputed,thattheywhoare

raisedabovesolicitudeforthemeansofsubsistenceandrespectability,withoutbeingexposedto

thevicesandfolliesofgreatriches,themenofmiddlingfortunes,inshort,thementowhom

societyisgenerallyindebtedforitsgreatestimprovements,arethemen,who,havingtheirtime

attheirowndisposal,freedfromthenecessityofmanuallabour,subjecttonoman’sauthority,

andengagedinthemostdelightfuloccupations,obtain,asaclass,thegreatestsumofhuman

enjoyment。Forthehappiness,therefore,aswellastheornamentofournature,itispeculiarly

desirablethataclassofthisdescriptionshouldformaslargeaproportionofeachcommunityas

possible。Forthispurposeitisabsolutelynecessarythatpopulationshouldnot,byaforced

accumulationofcapital,bemadetogoon,tillthereturntocapitalfromthelandisverysmall。

Toenableaconsiderableportionofthecommunitytoenjoytheadvantagesofleisure,thereturn

tocapitalmustevidentlybelarge。Thereisacertaindensityofpopulationwhichisconvenient,

bothforsocialintercourse,andforthatcombinationofpowersbywhichtheproduceoflabouris

increased。Whentheseadvantages,however,areattained,thereseemslittlereasontowishthat

populationshouldproceedanyfurther。Ifitdoesproceedfurther,insteadofincreasingthenet

revenuederivedfrom*thelandandlabourofthecountry,orthatportionoftheannualProduce

whichexceedswhatisnecessaryforreplacingthecapitalconsumed,andmaintainingthe

labourers,itlessensthatimportantfund,onthelargenessofwhichthehappinessofsocietytoa

greatdegreedepends。

(2。ii。61)Ifwemay,thus,infer,thathumanhappinesscannotbesecuredbytakingforcible

methodstomakecapitalincreaseasfastaspopulation;andif,ontheotherhand,itiscertain,

thatwherebirthstakeplace,morenumerousthanarerequiredtoupholdapopulation

correspondingtothestateofcapital,humanhappinessisimpaired,itisimmediatelyseen,that

thegrandpracticalproblemis,Tofindthemeansoflimitingthenumberofbirths。Ithasalso

appeared,that,beyondacertainstateofdensityinthepopulation,suchastoaffordinperfection

thebenefitsofsocialintercourse,andofcombinedlabour,itisnotdesirablethatpopulation

shouldincrease。The—preciseproblem,therefore,is,tofindthemeansoflimitingbirthstothat

numberwhichisnecessarytokeepupthepopulation,withoutincreasingit。Werethat

accomplished,whilethereturntocapitalfromthelandwasyethigh,therewardofthelabourer

wouldbeample,andalargesurpluswouldstillremain。Ifthenaturallawsofdistributionwere

allowedtooperatefreely,thegreaterpartofthisnetproducewouldfinditsway,inmoderate

portions,intothehandsofanumerousclassofpersons,exemptfromthenecessityoflabour,and

placedinthemostfavourablecircumstancesbothfortheenjoymentofhappiness,andforthe

highestintellectualandmoralattainments。

(2。ii。62)Wehaveyettomention,thatgovernment,insteadoflending,mayitselfemploythe

capitalwhichitforciblycreates。Itisevident,however,thatwhethergovernmentemploysthis

capital,orlendsittobeemployedbyothers,alltheeffects,whichwehavetraceditsarising

necessarilyfromitsincrease,willbe,thesame。Thebestmode,perhaps,whichcouldbe

inventedforemploying,bygovernmentitself,aportionoftheannualproduce,forciblytaken

fromtheowners,toacceleratethegrowthofcapital,wouldbethatwhichhasbeensoearnestly

presseduponthepublicattentionbyMr。Owen,ofNewLanark。Mr。Owenproposes,thatthe

portionoftheannualproducethusconvertedintocapitalshouldbeemployedbygovernmentin

makingcertainestablishments;eachofamixednature,partlyforagricultural,partlyfor

manufacturingindustry;inerectingthehouses,inprovidingtheinstrumentsormachinery,the

previoussubsistence,andrawmaterialswhichmightberequired。Intheseestablishments,Mr。

Owenisofopinionthatlabourmightbeemployedundergreatadvantages,andwithunexampled

meansoffelicitytotheindividualsemployed。Mr。Owen,however,mustintendoneoftwo

things;—eitherthatpopulationshouldgoon,orthatitshouldstop。Ifitistogoon,capitalof

courseholdingpacewithit,alltheevilswhichwould,asabove,resultfromtheforcibleincrease

ofcapital,whenlentbygovernment,wouldresultfromitsforcibleincrease,whenemployedin

thoseestablishments。IfMr。Owenmeansthatpopulationshouldnotgoon,andifexpedientscan

beemployedtolimitsufficientlythenumberofbirths,thereisnooccasionforthese

establishments,stilllessfortheforcibleandpainfulabductionofapartoftheirincomefromthe

people。Thelimitationofthenumberofbirths,byraisingwages,willaccomplisheverything

whichwedesire,withouttroubleandwithoutinterference。Thelimitationofthenumbers,ifthat

objectcanbeattained,maybecarriedsofarasnotonlytoraisetheconditionofthelabourerto

anystateofcomfortandenjoymentwhichmaybedesired,buttoprevententirelythe

accumulationofcapital。

SectionIII。Profits(2。iii。1)Whenitisestablished,thatthewholeoftheannualproduceisdistributedasrent,

wages

oflabour,andprofitsofstock;andwhenwehaveascertainedwhatregulatestheportionwhich

goestorent,andwhattheportionwhichgoestowages,thequestionisalsodeterminedwith

regardtoprofitsofstock;foritisevidentthattheportionwhichremainsisprofits。

(2。iii。2)Fromprecedingexpositions,itappears,thatrentissomethingaltogetherextraneous

to

whatmaybeconsideredasthereturntotheproductiveoperationsofcapitalandlabour。Assoon

asitisnecessarytoapplycapitaltolandofaninferiorquality,oruponthesamelandtoapplya

furtherdoseofcapitalwithinferiorreturn,allthatisyielded,morethanthisinferiorreturn,isas

ifitdidnotexist,withrespecttothecapitalistandlabourer。Whateverisyieldedbeyondthis

lowestreturn,eitheronparticularspotsofground,ortoparticularportionsofcapital,mightbe

annihilated,themomentitisproduced,withoutaffectingtheportionwhichgoestoeitherof

thosetwoclasses。Assoonasanewportionofcapitalisemployedwithinferiorreturn,thecase

wouldbethesame,iftheproductivepowersofallthecapitalemployeduponthelandwere

reducedtothisinferiorreturn,andaquantityofproduce,equaltotheadditionalreturn,which

usedtobemade,totheformerportionsofcapital,were,bymiracle,raineddownfromheaven

uponthepossessorsofthelandwhichyieldedit。

(2。iii。3)Theportion,whichgoes,intheshapeofrent,tothelandlord,andwhichisanexcess

beyondthereturnmadetothewholeofthecapitalandlabouremployedupontheland,is,in

fact,theresultofanaccident。Supposethatallthelandcultivatedinthecountrywereofone

uniformquality,andyieldedthesamereturntoeveryportionofthecapitalemployeduponit,

withtheexceptionofoneacre。Thatacre,weshallsuppose,yieldssixtimesasmuchasany

otheracre。Whatwouldbeproduceduponalltheotheracres,mightjustlyberegardedasthe

returnmadetothelabourandcapitalemployedupontheland;andthewholeofthatreturn。The

additionalfive—sixths,accruingfromthesingularacre,wouldnotbeconsideredasreturnmade

tolabourandcapital;itwouldbeconsideredastheaccidentalproductofaparticularvirtuein

thatparticularspot。Butwhatistrueofthissingleacreisequallytrueofanynumberofacres,as

soonasthateventoccurswhichdiminishesthereturntoanyportionofcapital,andinducesall

theownersofcapitaltolimittheirprofitstothemeasureofthatdiminishedreturn。

(2。iii。4)Ifthereisanyportionofcapital,employedupontheland,whichpaysnorent,itis

evidentthatthewagesandprofits,inthatcase,mustregulatethewagesandprofitsinother

cases。

(2。iii。5)Itthusfullyappears,thatnothingcanbeconsideredastheproduceofthejoint

operationsofcapitalandlabourupontheland,beyondthereturntothatportionofcapitalwhich

isappliedwithoutpayinganyrent,whichreturnmeasuresthequantityoftheproduceallowedto

remain,aftertherentisdeducted,asthereturntoalltheotherportionsoflabourandcapital

employedupontheland。Thewholeofthattherefore,whichcanbeconsideredasthereal

productoflabourandcapital,remainstobesharedbetweenthelabourerandcapitalist,afterthe

rentiswithdrawn。Itfollowsthat,inconsideringwhatregulateswagesandprofits,rentmaybe

leftaltogetheroutofthequestion。Rentistheeffect,andnotthecause,ofthediminished

producewhichthecapitalistsandlabourershavetodividebetweenthem。

(2。iii。6)Whenanythingistobedividedwhollybetweentwoparties,thatwhichregulates

the

shareofone,regulatesalso,itisveryevident,theshareoftheother;forwhateveriswithheld

fromtheone,theotherreceives;whatever,therefore,increasestheshareoftheonediminishes

thatoftheother,andviceversa。Wemight,therefore,withequalpropriety,itshouldseem,

affirmthatwagesdetermineprofits,orthatprofitsdeterminewages;and,inframingour

language,assumewhicheverwepleased,astheregulatororstandard。

(2。iii。7)Aswehaveseen,however,thattheregulationofthesharesbetweenthecapitalist

and

labourerdependsupontherelativeabundanceofpopulationandcapital,andthatpopulation,as

comparedwithcapital,hasatendencytosuperabound,theactiveprincipleofchangeisonthe

sideofpopulation,andconstitutesareasonforconsideringpopulation,andconsequentlywages,

astheregulator。

(2。iii。8)As,therefore,theprofitsofstockdependupontheshare,whichisreceivedbyits

owners,ofthejointproduceoflabourandstock;profitsofstockdependuponwages;riseas

wagesfall,andfallaswagesrise。

(2。iii。9)Inspeakingoftheproducewhichissharedbetweenthecapitalistandlabourer,itis

propertoexplain,thatIalwaysmeansuchnetproduceasremainsafterreplacingthecapital

whichhasbeenconsumed。As,instatingtheconstituentsofprice,wesaythatacommoditymust

fetchinthemarketavalueequaltothreethings:1st,tothecapitalwhichhasbeenconsumedin

itsproduction;2dly,totheordinaryprofitsofstockuponthecapitalemployed;and,3dly,tothe

wagesofthelabour;soinspeakingoftheportionsintowhich,astheproducetobeshared,the

commodityorcommodity’sworthistobeconsideredasdividingitself,wemustsetapartthe

portion,alwaysadeterminateamount,whichisforthecapitalconsumed,andwhichisdistinct

bothfromprofitsandfromwages。Thus,ifintheproductionofacommodity,whichsellsfor100

l。capitaltotheamountof50l。hasbeenconsumed,50l。isthatwhichistobedividedbetween

thecapitalistandlabourer,asprofitstotheone,andwagestotheother。

(2。iii。10)Thetermsalterationofwages,alterationofprofits,aresusceptibleofvarious

meanings,towhichitisnecessarytoadvert。

(2。iii。11)1。If,byalteration,ismeant,achangeintheproportions,itisevidentthatan

alteration

ofoneshareimpliesanalterationoftheother;andthepropositionthatprofitsdependupon

wages,admitsofnoqualification。

(2。iii。12)2。Ifachangeinthequantityofcommoditiesismeant,itwillnotbetrue,inthat

sense,

thatprofitssodependuponwages,astofallwhenwagesrise,andrisewhenwagesfall;forboth

mayfall,andbothmayrise,together。Andthisisapropositionwhichnopoliticaleconomisthas

calledinquestion。Ifthepowersofproductionareeitherincreasedordiminished,therewill,in

theonecase,bemore,intheotherless,todivide。Theproportionsremainingthesame,both

wagesandprofitswill,intheonecase,beraised,intheother,depressed。

(2。iii。13)Thetermsmayhaveanothermeaningstill。Whenachangeinwagesandprofitsis

spokenof,itmaybethevalueofwhatisreceivedunderthesedenominations,whichismeantto

beindicated。

(2。iii。14)Toperceivewhatmay,andwhatmaynot,betrulypredicatedorspokenofthe

termsin

thissense,itisnecessarytoadverttoadoublemeaningofthewordvalue。

(2。iii。15)1。Itisusedinthesenseofvalueinexchange;aswhenwesay,thatthevalueofa

hatis

doublethatofahandkerchief,ifonehatwillexchangefortwohandkerchiefs。

(2。iii。16)2。Mr。Ricardo,inhisexpositionoftheprinciplesofpoliticaleconomy,usedthe

word

valueinasensereferable,nottopurchasingpower,buttocostofproduction。Thus,iftwodays’

labourwenttotheproductionofonecommodity,andtwototheproductionofanother

commodity,Mr。Ricardowouldsay,thetwocommoditieswereofequalvalue。Inlikemanner,if

twodays’labourproducedatonetimeacertainamountofcommodities,andatanothertime,by

animprovementintheproductivepowersofthatlabour,agreateramountofcommodities,Mr。

Ricardowouldsaythatthevalueofthesmallerquantity,andthevalueofthegreaterquantity,

werethesame。

(2。iii。17)Ifweusethetermvalueinthesenseofexchangeablevalue,orpurchasingpower;

that

is,commandoveragreaterorlessquantityofcommodities;thecaseisthesamewiththatwhich

wehavealreadyconsidered,whereinriseandfallofwagesorprofitsweretakentomean,a

greaterorlessamountofcommodities。Whenwesaythatthelabourerreceivesagreaterquantity

ofcommodities,andwhenwesaythathereceivesagreaterexchangeablevalue,wedenoteby

thetwoexpressions,oneandthesamething。Inthissense,therefore,nobodyhasever

maintainedthatprofitsnecessarilyrisewhenwagesfall,andfallwhenwagesrise:becauseitwas

alwayseasytosee,that,byanalterationinproductivepower,bothmayriseorfalltogether,and

alsothatonemayriseorfall,andtheotherremainstationary。

(2。iii。18)Wecomenexttoconsiderwhatlanguagemaybecorrectlyused,inthesensewhich

Mr。

Ricardoannexedtothewordvalue。

(2。iii。19)Itwillimmediatelybeseenthat,inthissense,thecasecorrespondsexactly。with

the

firstofthosewhichIhavealreadyconsidered,thatofproportions。Ifwhatis’produced,byan

invariablequantityoflabour,continuestobedividedinthesameproportion,sayonehalftothe

capitalist,andonehalftothelabourers,thathalfmaybeagreaterorasmallerquantityof

commodities,butitwillalwaysbetheproduceofthesamequantityoflabour;and,inMr。

Ricardo’ssense,always,forthatreason,ofthesamevalue。Inthissenseofthewordvalue,

therefore,itisstrictlyandundeniablytrue,thatprofitsdependuponwagessoastorisewhen

wagesfall,andfallwhenwagesrise。

(2。iii。20)Inthecommonmodeofexpressingprofits,thereferencethatismadeisnottothe

producedcommodity,buttothecapitalemployedinproducingit;includingthewages,whichit

isnecessarytoadvance,andfromwhichtheownerexpectsofcoursetoderivethesame

advantageasfromhisotheradvances。Profitsareexpressednotinaliquotpartsoftheproduce,

butofthiscapital。Itisnotsomuchpercentoftheproducethatacapitalistissaidtoreceive,but

somuchpercentuponhiscapital。Now,thecapitalmaybeeitherofmore,oroflessvaluethan

theproduce,accordingtotheproportioninwhichitiscapitalofthefixed,orthecirculating

kind。Supposeacapitalof200l。ofwhich50l。isconsumedintheproductionofacommodity,

whichsellsfor120l。;wehavefirsttodeduct50l。forthecapitalconsumed;therethenremains

70l。tobedividedbetweenthecapitalistandthelabourers;andifwesupposethat50l。hasbeen

paidforwages,inotherwords,thatsuchistheshareofthelabourers,thecapitalistreceives10

percentuponhiscapital;includinghere,inthetermcapital,whathehasadvancedaswages;but

hereceives28—1/2percentoftheproduce,orofthatwhichisdividedafterreplacingthecapital

consumed。Itisonly,however,thelanguagewhichhereisdifferent;thethingexpressedis

preciselythesame;andwhetherthecapitalistsayshereceives10percentuponhiscapital,or

28—1/2percentoftheproduce,hemeansinbothcasesthesameamount,viz。20l。

(2。iii。21)Thereare,therefore,inreality,buttwocases。Theone,thatinwhichwespeakof

proportions;theother,thatinwhichwespeakofquantityofcommodities。Intheonecase,itis

correcttosaythatprofitsdependliterallyandstrictlyuponwages。Intheothercase,althoughit

isstillcorrecttosaythatprofitsdependuponwages;forthegreaterthesharethatgoestothe

labourer,thelessthesharethatremainsforthecapitalist;yettomakethelanguageofquantity

correspondinmeaningwiththelanguageofproportions,theformofexpressionrequirestobe

modified。

(2。iii。22)Thereisagreatconvenienceinadaptingourlanguagetotherateuponthecapital,

ratherthanthesharesoftheproduce;becausetherateuponthecapitalisthesameinallthe

varietiesofproduce,buttheshareofthecapitalistisdifferent,accordingtoallthedifferent

degreesinwhichcapitalcontributestotheintendedresult。

(2。iii。23)This,howeveritisevident,makesnodifferenceinthetruthofthedoctrine。Ifin

one

casecapitalcontributestwiceasmuch,inanotherthreetimesasmuch,asitdoesinathirdcase,

whateversharethecapitalistinthethirdcasereceives,thecapitalistinthefirstcasewillreceive

twiceasgreatashare,andthecapitalistinthesecondcasewillreceivethreetimesasgreat;if

theshareofthecapitalistinthethirdcaseisreducedonethirdbyriseofwages,theshareofeach

oftheothertwowillalsobereducedonethird;andwhatever,inpercentageonhiscapital,the

profitsoftheonearereduced,thesameinthatpercentagewilltheprofitsoftheothershe

reduced。

(2。iii。24)Asthispercentagehoweverisgenerallyspokeninthesenseofexchangeablevalue,

it

mayhappen,aswehaveseenabove,thatthesharesmaybealteredwithoutanalterationofthis

percentage。If,atthesametimethatthesharesofthecapitalistsarereduced,byariseofwages,

thereshouldhappenanincreaseoftheproductivepowersoflabourandcapital,thereduced

sharesmightconsistofasgreataquantityofcommoditiesasthepreviousshares,andofcourse

theexchangeablevalue,andpercentageonthecapital,expressedinthelanguageof

exchangeablevalue,wouldremainthesame。

(2。iii。25)Ifitshouldbedeemedabettermodeofexpoundingthesubject,nottoregard,asa

separateportion,whatisrequiredtoreplacethecapitalconsumed,buttoconsideritasforming

partoftheshareofthecapitalist;thesamepropositionswillstillbetrue。Thewholewhichisto

bedividedwill,inthiscase,bedifferentfromtheformerwhole,andtheshareswillnotbethe

sameproportionofthatwhole;butitwillstillbetruethatbyhowmuchtheproportionofthe

labourersisincreased,bysomuchthatofthecapitalistwillbereduced;andthatwhenthe

capitalisthassetapartthatportionofhissharewhichisrequiredtoreplacehiscapital,his

profits,ortheadvantageupontheuseofhiscapital,willbeaffected,preciselyastheyaresaidto

beaccordingtotheformermodeofexposition。

(2。iii。26)Ifwespeakofwhataccruestothetwopartiesinthelanguageofquantity,notof

proportion,itisequallyclear,inthismodeofexpositionasintheformer,thatthequantityof

commoditiesisnotnecessarilyalteredwhenthesharesarealtered;thatthesharesmayalter

whenthereisnoalterationinthequantityofproducetobeshared;and,ontheotherhand,that

thequantityofproducetobesharedmayalter,eitherupordown,whilethesharesarethesame。

Itis,atthesametime,true,thattherecanbenoalterationinthequantityofproducewhichthe

onereceives,butbyanalterationinthequantitywhichtheotherreceives;unlessinthatone

case,inwhichtheproductivepowersoftheinstrumentsofproductionhaveundergone

alteration。Thefollowing,therefore,isaconnectedchainoftruepropositions。

(2。iii。27)1。Thatwhichaccruestothepartiesconcernedintheproductionofacommodityor

commodities,thelabourers,andcapitalist,asthereturnfortheircooperation,isashareofthe

producetoeach。

(2。iii。28)2。Theshareoftheonecannotbeincreased,withoutacorrespondingdiminution

ofthe

shareoftheother。

(2。iii。29)3。Thesesharesremainingthesame,thequantityofproduceincludedinthemmay

be

eithergreaterorless,accordingastheproductiveoperationshavebeenfollowedwithagreater

orasmallerproduce。

(2。iii。30)4。Accordingasyouapplythetermvalue,totheeffect,thequantityofproduce;or

to

thecause,thequantityoflabouremployed;itwillbetrue,oritwillnotbetrue,thatthevalueof

whatisreceivedbythecapitalistthelabourerandreciprocatesalongwiththeirshares。

【推荐阅读】幽幽深宫,醒来一梦似千年,重生于下堂妃身躯中的她,将如何手刃仇人? 点击阅读

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