第6章
加入书架 A- A+
点击下载App,搜索"Elements of Political Economy",免费读到尾

  (3。xvii。9)Itseems,therefore,tobefullyestablished,thatthebusinessofproductionand

  exchange,iflefttochooseitsownchannels,issuretochoosethose,whicharemost

  advantageoustothecommunity。Itissuretochoosethosechannels,inwhichthecommodities,

  whichthecommunitydesirestoobtain,areobtainedwiththesmallestcost。Toobtainthe

  commodities,whichmandesires,andtoobtainthemwiththesmallestcost,isthewholeofthe

  goodwhichthebusinessofproductionandexchange,consideredsimplyassuch,iscalculatedto

  yield。Inwhateverdegree,therefore,thebusinessofproductionandexchangeisforcedoutofthe

  channelsintowhichitwouldgoofitsownaccord,tothatdegreetheadvantagesarisingfrom

  productionandexchangearesacrificed;or,atanyrate,postponedtosomethingelse。Ifthereis

  anycase,inwhichtheyoughttobepostponedtosomethingelse,thatisaquestionofpolitics,

  andnotofpoliticaleconomy。

  (3。xvii。10)Thereisnosubject,uponwhichthepolicyoftherestrictiveandprohibitive

  system

  hasbeenmaintainedwithgreaterobstinacy,andwithagreaterquantityofsophistry,thanthatof

  thetradeincorn。Therecan,however,benodoubt,thatcornneverwillbeimported,unless

  whenitcanbeobtainedfromabroadwithasmallerquantityoflabourthanitcanbeproduced

  withathome。Allthegood,therefore,whichisobtainedfromtheimportationofanycommodity,

  capableofbeingproducedathome,isobtainedfromtheimportationofcorn。Whyshouldthat

  advantagewhich,inthecaseofcorn,owingtothediversitiesofsoilandextentofpopulation,is

  liabletobemuchgreaterthaninthecaseofanyothercommodity,bedeniedtothecommunity?

  (3。xvii。11)Thereasons,uponwhichtheadvocatesforarestrictionofthecorntradechiefly

  supportthemselves,aretwo;neitherisofanyvalue。

  (3。xvii。12)Thefirstis,thatunlessthenationderiveitscornfromitsownsoil,itmay,bythe

  enmityofitsneighbours,bedeprivedofitsforeignsupply,andreducedtothegreatestdistress。

  Thisargumentimpliesanignorancebothofhistory,andofprinciple:Ofhistory,because,in

  pointoffact,thosecountrieswhichhavedependedthemostuponforeigncountriesfortheir

  supplyofcorn,haveenjoyedbeyondallothercountries,theadvantageofasteadyandinvariable

  marketforgrain:Ofprinciple,becauseitfollowsunavoidably,ifwhat,inonecountryisa

  favourable,isinothercountriesanunfavourableseason,thatobtainingagreatpartofitssupply

  fromvariouscountriesisthebestsecurityanationcanhaveagainsttheextensiveanddistressing

  fluctuationswhichthevarietyofseasonsiscalculatedtoproduce。Noristhepolicyinvolvedin

  thisargumentbetterthanthepoliticaleconomy。Itsacrificesarealgood,toescapethechanceof

  achimericalevil:anevilsomuchthelesstobeapprehended,thatthecountry,fromwhich

  anotherderivesitssupplyofcorn,isscarcelylessdependantuponthatothercountryforaventto

  itsproduce,thanthepurchasingcountryisforitssupply。Itwillnotbepretended,thataglutof

  corn,inanycountry,fromthelossofagreatmarket,withthatdeclensionofprice,thatruinof

  thefarmers,andthatdepressionofrents,whichareitsunavoidableconsequences,isan

  immaterialevil。

  (3。xvii。13)Thesecondreason,uponwhichtheadvocatesofthecornmonopolysupport

  themselves,is,that,ifthemerchantsandmanufacturersenjoyincertaincasesthemonopolyof

  thehomesupply,thefarmersandlandlordsaresubjecttoinjustice,whenasimilarmonopolyis

  notbostoweduponthem。Inthefirstplace,itmaybeobserved,that,ifthisargumentisgoodfor

  thegrowersofcorn,itisgoodforeveryotherspeciesofproducerswhatsoever;if,becauseatax

  isimposedupontheimportationofwoollens,ataxoughttobeimposedupontheimportationof

  corn,ataxoughtalsotobeimposedupontheimportationofeverything,whichthecountrycan

  produce;thecountryought,inshort,tohavenoforeigncommerce,exceptinthosearticles

  alone,whichithasnotthemeansofproducing。

  (3。xvii。14)Theargumentmoreoversupposes,thatanextraordinarygainisobtainedbythe

  manufacturer,inconsequenceofhissupposedprotection;andthatacorrespondentevilis

  sustainedbythecorngrower,unlessheisfavouredbyasimilartax。Theignoranceofprinciple

  ispeculiarlyvisibleinthosesuppositions,inneitherofwhichisthereashadowoftruth。

  (3。xvii。15)Themanwhoembarkshiscapitalinthewoollen,oranyothermanufacture,with

  the

  produceofwhichthatoftheforeignmanufacturersisnotallowedtocomeintocompetition,

  doesnot,onthataccount,deriveagreaterprofitfromhiscapital。Hisprofitisnogreaterthan

  thatofthemanwhosecapitalisembarkedintradesopentothecompetitionofalltheworld。All

  thathappensis,thatagreaternumberofcapitalistsfindemploymentinthatbranchof

  manufacture;thataportion,inshort,ofthecapitalistsofthecountryemploythemselvesin

  producingthatparticularspeciesofmanufacture,whowouldotherwisebeemployedin

  producingsomeotherspecies,probablyinproducingsomethingfortheforeignmarket,with

  whichthatcommodity,ifimportedfromtheforeignmanufacturer,mightbebought。

  (3。xvii。16)Asthemanwhohasembarkedhiscapitalinthetrade,whichiscalledprotected,

  derivesnoadditionalprofitfromtheprotection;sothegrowerofcornsustainsnotanypeculiar

  lossorinconvenience。Nothing,therefore,canbeconceivedmoregroundlessthanhisdemandof

  acompensationonthataccount。Themarketforcornisnotdiminishedbecauseataxislaid

  upontheimportationofwoollens;norwouldthatmarketbeenlargedifthetaxweretakenoff。

  Hisbusiness,therefore,isnotintheleastdegreeaffectedbyit。

  (3。xvii。17)Itwouldbeinconsistentwiththeplanofawork,confinedtotheexpositionof

  general

  principles,tolayopenallthefallacies,whichlurkintheargumentsforrestrainingthetradein

  corn。Oneortwo,however,ofthesourcesofdeception,cannotbeleftaltogetherunnoticed。

  (3。xvii。18)Thelandlordendeavourstorepresenthisowncase,andthatofthemanufacturer,

  as

  perfectlysimilar;though,inthecircumstanceswhichconcernthisargument,theyarenotonly

  different,butopposite。Thelandlordalsoendeavourstomixuphisowncasewiththatofthe

  farmer;anduponthesuccessofthatendeavouralmostalltheplausibilityofhispretensions

  depends。Thatnopretensionsaremoreunfounded,maybeseenbyaveryshortprocessof

  reasoning。Thefarmer,asaproducer,requires,likeeveryotherproducer,thatallhisoutgoings

  bereturnedtohim,withthedueprofituponthecapitalwhichheemploys。Thesurplus,which

  thelandyields,overandabovethisreturnandprofit,iswhathepaystohislandlord;andhis

  interestisnotaffectedbythequantityofthatsurplus,whetheritbegreatorsmall。Hisinterest,

  however,isverymuchaffectedbywages;because,inproportionaswagesarelow,hisprofits,

  likeallotherprofits,arehigh。Wagescannotbelow,ifcornisdear。Theinterest,therefore,the

  permanentinterest,oftheclassoffarmers,consists,inhavingcorncheap。Thisorthatindividual

  intheclassmay,thatis,duringthecurrencyofalease,haveaninterestinhighprices;andthe

  reasonoftheexceptionshowsthetruthofthegeneralrule。Theindividual,who,duringthe

  currencyofalease,hasaninterestinhighprices,is,byhislease,converted,toacertainextent,

  intoareceiverofrent。Duringthecontinuanceofhislease,ifpricesrise,hegets,notonlyhis

  duereturnofprofitsasafarmer,butsomethingmore,namely,aportionofwhatistrulyrent,and

  which,butforhislease,wouldhavegonetothelandlord。

  (3。xvii。19)This,then,isthegranddistinction。Thereceiversofrentarebenefitedbyahigh

  price

  ofcorn;theproducersofcorn,assucharenotbenefitedbyit,butthereverse。Thecaseofthe

  farmercorrespondswiththatofthemanufacturer,notwiththatofthelandlord。Thefarmerisa

  producerandcapitalist;themanufacturerisaproducerandcapitalist;andtheyhaveboth

  receivedallthatbelongstothem,whentheircapitalisreplacedwithitsprofits。Thelandlordis

  notaproducer,noracapitalist。Heistheownerofcertainproductivepowersinthesoil;andall

  whichthesoilproducesbelongstohim,afterpayingthecapitalwhichisnecessarytoputthose

  productivepowersinoperation。Itthusappearsthatthecaseofthelandlordispeculiar;thata

  highpriceofcornisprofitabletohim,because,thehighertheprice,thesmalleraportionofthe

  producewillsufficetoreplace,withitsprofits,thecapitalofthefarmer;andalltherestbelongs

  tohimself。Tothefarmer,however,andtoalltherestofthecommunity,itisanevil,bothasit

  tendstodiminishprofits,andasitenhancesthechargetoconsumers。

  SectionXVIII。Colonies(3。xviii。1)Amongtheexpedientswhichhavebeenmadeuseof,toforceintoparticular

  channels

  agreaterquantityofthemeansofproduction,thanwouldhaveflowedintothemoftheirown

  accord;coloniesareasubjectofsufficientimportancetorequireaparticularconsideration。

  (3。xviii。2)Theonlypointofcolonialpolicy,whichitisherenecessarytoconsider,isthatof

  tradewiththecolonies。Andthequestionis,whetheranypeculiaradvantagemaybederived

  fromit。

  (3。xviii。3)Withrespecttocolonies,aswithrespecttoforeigncountries,thepropositionwill,

  doubtless,beadmitted,that,whateveradvantageisderivedfromtradingwiththem,consistsin

  whatisreceivedfromthem,notinwhatissent;becausethat,ifnotfollowedbyareturn,would

  bealtogetherloss。

  (3。xviii。4)Thereturnfromthemiseithermoneyorcommodities。Thereaderisbythistime

  fully

  awarethatacountryderivesnoadvantagefromreceivingmoney,morethanfromreceivingany

  otherspeciesofcommodity。Itisalsoplainthatwherethecolonyhasnotminesoftheprecious

  metal,itcannot,underthemonopolyofthemothercountry,havemoney,oranythingelse,

  besideitsownproductions,tosend。

  (3。xviii。5)Itisneedlesstoconsiderthecaseorfreetradewithacolony,becausethatfalls

  under

  thecaseortradewithanyforeigncountry。

  (3。xviii。6)Themonopoly,whichamothercountrymayreservetoherself,ofthetradewith

  her

  colonies,isoftwosorts。

  (3。xviii。7)Firstofall,shemaytradewithhercolonies,bymeansofanexclusivecompany。

  In

  thiscase,thecolonyhasnopurchaser,towhomsheisallowedtosellanything,butthe

  exclusivecompany;andnootherseller,fromwhomsheisallowedtobuyanything。The

  company,therefore,canmakeherbuy,asdearasitpleases,thegoodswhichthemothercountry

  sendstoher,andsell,ascheapasitpleases,thegoodswhichshesendstothemothercountry。In

  otherwords,thecolonymay,inthesecircumstances,beobligedtogivefortheproduceofa

  certainquantityofthelabourofthemothercountry,amuchgreaterquantityofgoodsthanthe

  mothercountrycouldobtain,withthesamequantity,fromanyothercountry,orfromthecolony

  inastateoffreedom。

  (3。xviii。8)Thecasesofatradeinthesecircumstancesaretwo:thefirst,wherethecolony

  receivesfromthemothercountry,luxuries,comforts:theother,whereshereceivesnecessaries;

  eitherthenecessariesoflife,orthenecessariesofindustry,asiron,&c。

  (3。xviii。9)Inthatcase,inwhichthecolonyreceivesluxuriesandcomfortsonlyfromthe

  mother

  country,thereisalimittothedegreeinwhichthemothercountryisenabledtoprofitbythe

  labourofthecolony。Thecolonymaydeclinereceivingsuchluxuriesorcomforts,ifobligedto

  sacrificeforthemtoogreataquantityoftheproduceofherlabour,andmaythinkitbetterto

  employthatgreatproportionofherlabour,inprovidingsuchluxuriesandcomfortsasshe

  herselfiscapableofproducing。

  (3。xviii。10)If,however,thecolonyisdependantfornecessariesuponthemothercountry,

  the

  exclusivecompanyexercisesoverthecolonyapoweraltogetherdespotic。Itmaycompelherto

  givethewholeproduceofherlabour,fornomoreofthenecessariesinquestion,thanwhatis

  justsufficienttoenablethepopulationofthecolonytolive。Ifitisthenecessariesoflife,which

  thecolonyreceives,theconclusionisobvious。Ifitiscommodities,suchasiron,andinstruments

  ofiron,withoutwhichherlabourcannotbeproductivelyemployed,theresultispreciselythe

  same。Shemaybemadetopayforthesearticlessomuchofthewholeproduceofherlabour,

  thatnothingbutwhatisnecessarytokeepthepopulationalivemayremain。Itwouldbethe

  interestofthemothercountry,nottolessenthepopulation;because,withthepopulation,the

  producewouldbelessened,andhencethequantityofcommoditieswhichthemothercountry

  couldreceive。

  (3。xviii。11)Instead,however,oftradingwithhercoloniesbymeansofanexclusive

  company,

  themothercountrymayleavethetradeopentoallherownmerchants,onlyprohibitingthe

  colonyfromtradingwiththemerchantsofanyothercountry。Inthiscase,thecompetitionofthe

  merchantsinthemothercountryreducesthepriceofallthearticlesreceivedbythecolony,as

  lowastheycanbeafforded—inotherwords,aslowasinthemothercountryitself,allowance

  beingmadefortheexpenseofcarryingthem。Ifitbesaidthatthecoloniesaffordamarket;I

  reply,thatthecapital,whichsuppliescommoditiesforthatmarket,wouldstillprepare

  commodities,ifthecolonieswereannihilated;andthosecommoditieswouldstillfind

  consumers。Thelabourandcapitalofacountrycannotpreparemorethanthecountrywillbe

  willingtoconsume。Everyindividualhasadesiretoconsume,eitherproductivelyor

  unproductively,whateverhereceives。Everycountry,therefore,containswithinitselfamarket

  forallthatitcanproduce。Thiswillbemadestillmoreevident,whenthesubjectof

  consumption,thecauseandmeasureofmarkets。,comesunderconsideration。Thereis,therefore,

  noadvantagewhatsoeverderived,underfreedomofcompetition,fromthatpartofthetradewith

  acolonywhichconsistsinsupplyingitwithgoods,sincenomoreisgainedbyit,thansuch

  ordinaryprofitsofstockaswouldhavebeengainedifnosuchtradehadexisted。Itis

  neverthelesstruethatthecolonymaylosebysuchatraffic,ifthegoods,whichsheisthus

  compelledtopurchaseofthemothercountry,mighthavebeenpurchasedcheaperinother

  countries。

  (3。xviii。12)Iftherebeanypeculiaradvantage,therefore,tothemothercountry,itmustbe

  derivedfromthecheapnessofthegoods,withwhichthecolonysuppliesher。Itisevident,thatif

  thequantityofgoods,sugar,forexample,whichthecolonysendstothemothercountry,isso

  greatastoglutthemothercountry;thatistosupplyitsdemandbeyondthemeasureofother

  countries,andmakethepriceoftheminthemothercountrylowerthanitisinothercountries,

  themothercountryprofitsbycompellingthecolonytobringitsgoodsexclusivelytohermarket,

  sinceshewouldhavetopayforthemashighasothercountries,ifthepeopleofthecolonywere

  atlibertytosellwherevertheycouldobtainthegreatestprice。

  (3。xviii。13)Thisadvantage,ifdrawnbythemothercountry,wouldbedrawnattheexpense

  of

  thecolony。Infreetrade,bothpartiesgain。Intheadvantageproducedbyforcing,whateveris

  gainedbytheonepartyislostbytheother。Themothercountry,incompellingthecolonytosell

  goodscheapertoherthanshemightsellthemtoothercountries,merelyimposesuponhera

  tribute;notdirect,indeed,butnotthelessrealbecauseitisdisguised。

  (3。xviii。14)Ifanyadvantageisderivedfromrestraining,anyotherwisethanbyanexclusive

  company,thetradewiththecolonies,itmustconsistinforcingthecoloniestoselltononebut

  themothercountry,notinforcingthemtobuyfromnonebutthemothercountry。Agreat

  improvement,therefore,incolonialpolicywouldbe,tothrowopenthesupplyofthecolonies,

  permittingthemtopurchasethegoodswhichtheywant,wherevertheycouldfindthemost

  favourablemarket,onlyrestrainingtheminthesaleoftheirgoods:allowingthemtobuy

  wherevertheypleased,permittingthemtoselltononebutthemothercountry。

  (3。xviii。15)Itisatthesametimetobeobserved,thatifthemerchantsofthemothercountry

  havefreedomtoexportthegoodswhicharederivedfromthecolonies,thepriceofthesegoods

  willberaisedintheirowncountrytothelevelofthepriceinothercountries。Thecompetitionof

  themerchantswill,also,raisethepriceofthegoodstoacorrespondentheightinthecolonies;

  andthusthebenefittothemothercountryislost。

  (3。xviii。16)Treatiesofcommercearesometimesconcluded,forthepurposeoflimitingthe

  freedomoftrade。Onecountrycanbelimitedtoanotherinbuttwoways;eitherinitspurchases,

  oritssales。SupposethatGreatBritainbindssomeothercountrytopurchasecertain

  commoditiesexclusivelyfromher;GreatBritaincanderivenoadvantagefromsuchatreaty。

  Thecompetitionofhermerchantswillmakethemsellthosecommoditiesascheaptothe

  merchantsofthatcountry,astotheirowncountrymen。Theirstockisnotmoreprofitably

  employedthanitwouldbeifnosuchtradeexisted。Therearecasesinwhichacountrymaygain

  bybindinganothercountrytoselltononebutitself。Ifonecountryisboundtosellno

  commoditieswhatsoever,excepttoanotherparticularcountry;thisisthesamecase,exactly,

  withthatofacolonyboundtoselltononebutthemothercountry。Asnofreecountry,however,

  islikelytobinditselftosellnoneofitscommoditiesexcepttooneother,thisisnotacasewhich

  weneedtoregardaspracticableorreal。

  (3。xviii。17)Onecountrymaybinditselftosellexclusivelytoanotherparticularcountry,not

  all

  thearticlesithasforforeignsale,butonlysomeofthem。

  (3。xviii。18)Thesemaybearticleswhichyieldnothing,eveninastateoffreedom,butthe

  ordinaryprofitsofstock;ascloth,hardware,hats,&c。:ortheymaybearticleswhichyield

  somethingoverandabovetheordinaryprofitsofstock;ascorn,wine,minerals,&c。which

  are

  thesourceofrent。

  (3。xviii。19)Onecountrycanderivenoadvantagefromcompellinganothertoselltoit,

  exclusively,articlesofthefirstsort。Ifthepricewhichthefavouredcountrypaysforthegoodsis

  notsufficienttoaffordtheordinaryprofitsofstock,theywillnotbeproduced。Ifthepricewhich

  itpaysissufficienttoaffordtheordinaryprofitsofstock,itwould,atthatprice,obtainthe

  goods,withoutanytreatyofrestriction。

  (3。xviii。20)Thecaseisdifferent,wherethegoodsyieldsomething,asrent,ortheprofitsofa

  monopoly,overandabovetheprofitsofstock。Thequantitywhichmaybesentinthiscaseto

  thefavouredcountry,maysinktherethepriceoftherestrictedcommoditylowerthanitisinthe

  neighbouringcountries;andlowerthantherestrictedcountrywould,ifnotunderrestriction,be

  enabledtosellitinthosecountries。Tothisextent,andtothisonly,canonecountrybenefit,by

  confiningthetradeofanothertoitself。Therestrictionmayoperatetoadiminutionoftheprofits

  ofamonopolizedcommodity,oradiminutionofrent。

  (3。xviii。21)Thereisonemodeofpresentingthissubject,whichisapttopuzzleamindnot

  accustomedtotracetheintricaciesofthisscience。

  (3。xviii。22)Supposetwocountries,AandB,ofwhichAisboundbytreaty,orotherwise,to

  receiveallitsshoesfromB,andtoselltoBallitssugars:Suppose,also,thatAcould,ifleftat

  liberty,obtainitsshoes50percent。cheaperfromsomeothercountry;inthatcase,itmayfora

  momentappear,thatB,obtainsthesugarswhichitbuysofA,with50percent。lessofitsown

  labour,thanitwouldifAwereallowedtopurchasewhereitpleased。

  (3。xviii。23)IfBpaidforthesupposedsugarsinshoes,itwould,nodoubt,pay50percent。

  more

  inthecaseofafreetrade。

  (3。xviii。24)Butiftherewereanyotherarticlewithwhichitcouldpurchasethosesugars,and

  whichitcouldaffordascheapasanyothercountry,itwouldlosenothinginthecaseofafree

  trade;itwouldpurchasethesamequantityofsugarwiththeproduceofthesamequantityof

  labourasbefore;only,thatproducewouldbe,notshoes,butsomeotherarticle。

  (3。xviii。25)ThattherewouldbearticleswhichBcouldaffordascheapasanyothercountry,

  is

  certain,becauseotherwiseitcouldhavenoforeigntrade。

  (3。xviii。26)Itmaybesaid,however,thatthoughBmighthavearticleswhichitcouldsellas

  cheapasothercountries,theymightnotbeindemandinthecountrywhichproducedthesugars。

  Butifshoesonlywereindemandinthecolonies,thoseotherarticlescouldpurchaseshoes

  wheretheywerecheapest;andthusobtainthesamequantityofsugar,inthefree,asinthe

  restrictedstateofthetrade。

  Chapter4。Consumption(4。1)Ofthefoursetsofoperations,Production,Distribution,Exchange,andConsumption,

  whichconstitutethesubjectofPoliticalEconomy,thefirstthreearemeans。Nomanproduces

  forthesakeofproducing,andnothingfarther。Distribution,inthesamemanner,isnot

  performedforthesakeofdistribution。Thingsaredistributed,asalsoexchanged,tosomeend。

  (4。2)ThatendisConsumption。Thingsareproducedthattheymaybeconsumed;and

  distributionandexchangeareonlytheintermediateoperationsforbringingthethings,which

  havebeenproduced,intothehandsofthosewhoaretoconsumethem。

  SectionI。OfProductiveandUnproductiveConsumption(4。i。1)OfConsumption,therearetwospecies;thedistinctivepropertiesofwhichitisof

  great

  importancetocomprehend。

  (4。i。2)Theseare,1st,ProductiveConsumption;2dly,UnproductiveConsumption。

  (4。i。3)1。Thatproductionmaytakeplace,acertainexpenditureisrequired。Itisnecessary,

  that

  thelabourershouldbemaintained;thatheshouldbeprovidedwiththeproperinstrumentsofhis

  labour,andwiththematerialsofthecommoditywhichitishisbusinesstoproduce。

  (4。i。4)Whatisthusexpended,forthesakeofsomethingtobeproduced,issaidtobe

  consumed

  productively。

  (4。i。5)Inproductiveconsumption,threeclassesofthingsareincluded。Thefirstis,the

  necessariesofthelabourer,underwhichtermareincludedallthathiswagesenablehimto

  consume,whethertheseconfinehimtowhatisrequiredforthepreservationofexistence,or

  affordhimsomethingforenjoyment。Thesecondclassofthingsconsumedforproductionis

  machinery;includingtoolsofallsorts,thebuildingsnecessaryfortheproductiveoperations,and

  eventhecattle。Thethirdisthematerialsofwhichthecommoditytobeproducedmustbe

  formed,orfromwhichit,mustbederived。Suchistheseedfromwhichthecornmustbe

  produced,theflaxorwoolofwhichthelinenorwoollenclothmustbeformed,thedrugswith

  whichitmustbedyed,orthecoalswhichmustbeconsumedinanyofthenecessaryoperations。

  (4。i。6)Ofthesethreeclassesofthings,itisonlythesecond,theconsumptionofwhichisnot

  completedinthecourseoftheproductiveoperations。Themachineryandbuildings,employedin

  production,maylastforseveralyears;thenecessaries,however,ofthelabourer,andthe

  materials,eitherprimaryorsecondary,ofthecommoditytobeproduced,areallcompletely

  consumed。Evenofthedurablemachinery,thewearandtearamounttoapartialconsumption。

  (4。i。7)2。Thusitis,thatmenconsumeforthesakeofproduction。Theyalsoconsume,

  however,

  withoutproducing,andwithoutanyviewtoproduction。Thewageswhichamanaffordstoa

  ploughman,aregivenforthesakeofproduction;thewageswhichhegivestohisfootmanand

  hisgroom,arenotgivenforthesakeofproduction。Theflaxwhichthemanufacturerpurchases,

  andconvertsintolinen,heconsumesproductively;thewinewhichhepurchases,andusesathis

  table,heconsumesunproductively。Theseinstancesaresufficienttoillustratewhatismeant,

  whenwespeakofunproductiveconsumption。Allconsumption,whichdoesnottakeplacetothe

  endthatanincomeorrevenuemaybederivedfromit,isunproductiveconsumption。

  (4。i。8)Fromthisexplanation,itfollows,thatproductiveconsumptionisitselfameans;itisa

  meanstoproduction。Unproductiveconsumption,ontheotherhand,isnotameans。Thisspecies

  ofconsumptionistheend。This,ortheenjoymentwhichisinvolvedinit,isthegoodwhich

  constitutedthemotivetoalltheoperationsbywhichitwaspreceded。

  (4。i。9)Fromthisexplanation,italsofollows,that,byproductiveconsumption,nothingis

  lost:no

  diminutionismadeoftheproperty,eitheroftheindividual,orofthecommunity;forifonething

  isdestroyed,anotherisbythatmeansproduced。Thecaseistotallydifferentwithunproductive

  consumption。Whateverisunproductivelyconsumed,islost。Whateverisconsumedinthis

  manner,isadiminutionoftheproperty,bothoftheindividualandofthecommunity;because,

  inconsequenceofthisconsumption,nothingwhateverisproduced。Thecommodityperishesin

  theusing,andallthatisderivedisthegood,thepleasure,thesatisfaction,whichtheusingofit

  yields。

  (4。i。10)Thatwhichisproductivelyconsumedisalwayscapital。Thisisapropertyof

  productive

  consumption,whichdeservestobeparticularlyremarked。Amancommencesthemanufacture

  ofclothwithacertaincapital。Partofthiscapitalheallotsforthepaymentofwages;another

  parthelaysoutinmachinery:andwithwhatremainshepurchasestherawmaterialofhiscloth,

  andtheotherarticles,theuseofwhichisrequired,inpreparingitforthemarket。Itthusappears,

  thatthewholeofeverycapitalundergoestheproductiveconsumption。Itisequallyobviousthat

  whateverisconsumedproductivelybecomescapital;forifthemanufacturerofcloth,whose

  capitalwehaveseentobeproductivelyconsumed,shouldsaveaportionofhisprofits,and

  employitinthedifferentkindsofproductiveconsumptionrequiredinhisbusiness,itwould

  performexactlythefunctionsperformedbyhiscapital,andwould,intruth,beanadditionto

  thatcapital。

  (4。i。11)Thewholeofwhattheproductivepowersofthecountryhavebroughtintoexistence,

  in

  thecourseofayear,iscalledthegrossannualproduce。Ofthisthegreaterpartisrequiredto

  replacethecapitalwhichhasbeenconsumed;torestoretothecapitalistwhathehaslaidoutin

  thewagesofhislabourersandthepurchaseofhismaterials,andtoremuneratehimforthewear

  andtearofhismachinery。Whatremainofthegrossproduce,afterreplacingthecapitalwhich

  hasbeenconsumed,iscalledthenetproduce;andisalwaysdistributed,eitherasprofitsof

  stock,orasrent。

  (4。i。12)Thisnetproduceisthefund,fromwhichalladditiontothenationalcapitalis

  commonly

  made。Ifthenetproduceisallconsumedunproductively,thenationalcapitalremainsunaltered。

  Itisneitherdiminishednorincreased。Ifmorethanthenetproduceisconsumedunproductively,

  itistakenfromthecapital;andsofarthecapitalofthenationisreduced。Iflessthanthenet

  produceisunproductivelyconsumed,thesurplusisdevotedtoproductiveconsumption;andthe

  nationalcapitalisincreased。

  (4。i。13)Thoughaveryaccurateconceptionmaythusbeformedofthetwospeciesof

  consumption;andthetwospeciesoflabour;productive,andunproductive;itisnoteasytodraw

  thelinepreciselybetweenthem。Almostallourclassificationsareliabletothisinconvenience。

  Betweenthings,whichdifferthemostwidely,therearealmostalwaysordersofthings,which

  approachbyinsensiblegradations。Wedivideanimalsintotwoclasses,therationaland

  irrational:andnotwoideascanbemoreclearlydistinguished。Yetbeingsmaybefound,of

  whichitwouldbedifficulttosay,towhichofthetwoclassestheybelonged。Inlikemanner,

  thereareconsumers,andlabourers,whomayseem,withsomepropriety,tobecapableofbeing

  ranked,eitherintheproductive,ortheunproductiveclass。Notwithstandingthisdifficulty,itis

  absolutelynecessary,forthepurposesofhumandiscourse,thatclassificationshouldbe

  performed,andthelinedrawnsomewhere。Thismaybedone,withsufficientaccuracybothfor

  scienceand。forpractice。Itischieflynecessarythatthemoreimportantpropertiesoftheobjects

  classifiedshouldbedistinctlymarkedinthedefinitionoftheclass。Itisnotdifficult,afterthis,

  tomakeallowance,inpractice,forthosethingswhichhe,asitwere,upontheconfinesoftwo

  classes;andpartake,insomedegree,ofthepropertiesofboth。

  SectionII。ThatWhichIsAnnuallyProducedIsAnnually

  Consumed(4。ii。1)Fromwhatwehavenowascertainedofthenatureofproductionandconsumption,it

  will

  easilybeseen,thatthewholeofwhatisannuallyproducedisannuallyconsumed;or,thatwhat

  isproducedinoneyear,isconsumedinthenext。

  (4。ii。2)Everything,whichisproduced,belongstosomebody,andisdestinedbytheowners

  to

  someuse。Therearehowever,buttwosortsofuse:thatforimmediateenjoyment,andthatfor

  ultimateprofit。Touseforultimateprofit,istoconsumeproductively。Touseforimmediate

  enjoyment,istoconsumeunproductively。

  (4。ii。3)Wehavejustobserved,thatwhatisusedforultimateprofit,islaidout,as

  expeditiously

  aspossible,inwagesoflabour,machinery,andrawmaterial。Thisisafactofprimary

  importance;andmanyerrorsofthosewhoreasonlooselyinPoliticalEconomy,arisefromthe

  neglectofit。Whateverissavedfromtheannualproduce,inordertobeconvertedintocapital,is

  necessarilyconsumed;becausetomakeitanswerthepurposeofcapital,itmustbeemployedin

  thepaymentofwages,inthepurchaseofrawmaterialtobeworkedintoafinishedcommodity,

  or,lastly,inthemakingofmachines,effectedinlikemannerbythepaymentofwages,andthe

  workingupofrawmaterials。Withrespecttothatpartoftheannualproduce,whichisdestined

  forunproductiveconsumption,thereislessfrequentlyanymistake。Asitwouldbeattendedwith

  alosstolayinagreaterstockofarticlesofthisclassthanisrequired,forimmediateuse,allof

  them,exceptafew,ofwhichthequalityisimprovedbytheirage,arealwaysexpeditiously

  consumed,orputinacourseofconsumption。

  (4。ii。4)Ayearisassumed,inpoliticaleconomy,astheperiodwhichincludesarevolving

  circle

  ofproductionandconsumption。Noperioddoessoexactly。Somearticlesareproducedand

  consumedinaperiodmuchlessthanayear。Inothers,thecircleisgreaterthanayear。Itis

  necessary,fortheendsofdiscourse,thatsomeperiodshouldbeassumedasincludingthiscircle。

  Theperiodofayearisthemostconvenient。Itcorrespondswithonegreatclassofproductions,

  thosederivedfromthecultivationoftheground。Anditiseasy,whenwehaveobtainedformsof

  expression,whichcorrespondaccuratelytothisassumtion,tomodifytheminpracticetothe

  caseofthosecommodities,thecircleofwhoseproductionandconsumptioniseithergreateror

  lessthanthestandardtowhichourgeneralpropositionsareconformed。

  SectionIII。ThatConsumptionIsCo—ExtensiveWith

  Production(4。iii。1)Itrequiresonlyafewexplanationstoshow,thatthisisadirectcorollaryfromthe

  propositionestablishedintheprecedingsection。

  (4。iii。2)Amanproduces,onlybecausehewishestopossess。Ifthecommodity,whichhe

  produces,isthecommoditywhichhedesirestopossess,hestopswhenhehasproducedasmuch

  ashedesires;andhissupplyisexactlyproportionedtohisdemand。Thesavage,whomakeshis

  ownbowandarrows,doesnotmakebowsandarrowsbeyondwhathewishestopossess。

  (4。iii。3)Whenamanproducesagreaterquantityofanycommoditythanhedesiresfor

  himself,

  itcanonlybeononeaccount;namely,thathedesiressomeothercommoditywhichhecan

  obtaininexchangeforthesurplusofwhathehimselfhasproduced。Itseemshardlynecessaryto

  offeranythinginsupportofsonecessaryaproposition;itwouldbeinconsistentwiththeknown

  lawsofhumannaturetosuppose,thatamanwouldtakethetroubletoproduceanythingwithout

  desiringtohaveanything。Ifhedesiresonething,andproducesanother,itisonlybecausethe

  thingwhichhedesirescanbeobtainedbymeansofthethingwhichheproduces,andbetter

  obtained,thanifhehadendeavouredtoproduceithimself。

  (4。iii。4)Afterlabourhasbeendividedanddistributed,toanyconsiderableextent,andeach

  producerconfineshimselftosomeonecommodityorpartofacommodity,asmallportiononly

  ofwhatheproducesisusedforhisownconsumption。Theremainderhedestinesforthepurpose

  ofsupplyinghimwithalltheother’commoditieswhichhedesires;andwheneachmanconfines

  himselftoonecommodityandexchangeswhatheproducesforwhatisproducedbyother

  people,itisfoundthateachobtainsmoreoftheseveralthings,whichhedesires,thanhewould

  haveobtained,hadheendeavouredtoproducethemallforhimself。

  (4。iii。5)Sofarasamanconsumesthatwhichheproduces,thereis,properlyspeaking,

  neither

  supplynordemand。Demandandsupply,itisevident,aretermswhichhavereferenceto

  exchange;toabuyerandaseller。Butinthecaseofthemanwhoproducesforhimself,thereis

  noexchange。Heneitherofferstobuyanythingnortosellanything。Hehastheproperty;hehas

  producedit;anddoesnotmeantopartwithit。Ifweapply,byasortofmetaphor,theterms

  demandandsupplytothiscase,itisimplied,intheverytermsofthesupposition,thatthe

  demandandsupplyareexactlyproportionedtooneanother。Asfarthenasregardsthedemand

  andsupplyofthemarket,wemayleavethatportionoftheannualproduce,whicheachofthe

  ownersconsumesintheshapeinwhichheproducesorreceivesit,altogetheroutofthequestion。

  (4。iii。6)Inspeakinghereofdemandandsupply,itisevidentthatwespeakofaggregates。

  When

  wesayofanyparticularnation,atanyparticulartime,thatitssupplyisequaltoitsdemand,we

  donotmeaninanyonecommodity,oranytwocommodities。Wemean,thattheamountofits

  demand,inallcommoditiestakentogether,isequaltotheamountofitssupplyinall

  commoditiestakentogether。Itmayverywellhappen,notwithstandingthisequalityinthe

  generalsumofdemandsandsupplies,thatsomeonecommodityorcommoditiesmayhavebeen

  producedinaquantityeitheraboveorbelowthedemandforthoseparticularcommodities。

  (4。iii。7)Twothingsarenecessarytoconstituteademand。Theseare,1st,awishforthe

  commodity;2dly,anequivalenttogiveforit。Ademandmeansthewilltopurchase,andthe

  meansofpurchasing。Ifeitheriswanting,thepurchasedoesnottakeplace。Anequivalentisthe

  necessaryfoundationofalldemand。Itisinvainthatamanwishesforcommodities,ifhehas

  nothingtogiveforthem。Theequivalentwhichamanbringsistheinstrumentofdemand。The

  extentofhisdemandismeasuredbytheextentofhisequivalent。Thedemandandtheequivalent

  areconvertibleterms,andtheonemaybesubstitutedfortheother。Theequivalentmaybecalled

  thedemand,andthedemandtheequivalent。

  (4。iii。8)Wehavealreadyseen,thateveryman,whoproduces,hasawishforother

  commodities,

  thanthosewhichhehasproduced,totheextentofallthathebringstomarket。Anditisevident,

  thatwhateveramanhasproduced,anddoesnotwishtokeepforhisownconsumption,isa

  stockwhichhemaygiveinexchangeforothercommodities。Hiswill,therefore,topurchase,

  andhismeansofpurchasing,inotherwords,hisdemand,isexactlyequaltotheamountofwhat

  hehasproducedanddoesnotmeantoconsume。

  (4。iii。9)Buteachmancontributestothegeneralsupplythewholeofwhathehasproduced

  and

  doesnotmeantoconsume。Inwhatevershapeanypartoftheannualproducehascomeintohis

  hands,ifbeproposestoconsumenopartofithimself,hewishestodisposeofthewhole;and

  thewhole,therefore,becomesmatterofsupply:ifheconsumesapart,hewishestodisposeof

  alltherest,andalltherestbecomesmatterofsupply。

  (4。iii。10)Aseveryman’sdemand,therefore,isequaltothatpartoftheannualproduce,orof

  the

  propertygenerally,whichhehastodisposeof,andeachman’ssupplyisexactlythesamething,

  thesupplyanddemandofeveryindividualareofnecessityequal。

  (4。iii。11)Demandandsupplyaretermsrelatedinapeculiarmanner。Acommoditywhichis

  supplied,isalways,atthesametime,acommoditywhichistheinstrumentofdemand。A

  commoditywhichistheinstrumentofdemand,isalways,atthesametime,acommodityadded

  tothestockofsupply。Everycommodityisalways,atoneandthesametime,matterofdemand,

  andmatterofsupply。Oftwomenwhoperformanexchange,theonedoesnotcomewithonlya

  supply,theotherwithonlyademand;eachofthemcomeswithbothademandandasupply。The

  supply,whichhebrings,istheinstrumentofhisdemand;andhisdemandandsupplyareof

  courseexactlyequaltooneanother。

  (4。iii。12)Butifthedemandandsupplyofeveryindividualarealwaysequaltooneanother,

  the

  demandandsupplyofalltheindividualsinthenation,takenaggregately,mustbeequal。

  Whatever,therefore,betheamountoftheannualproduce,itnevercanexceedtheamountofthe

  annualdemand。Thewholeoftheannualproduceisdividedintoanumberofshares,equalto

  thatofthepeopletowhomitisdistributed。Thewholeofthedemandisequaltoasmuchofthe

  wholeofthesharesastheownersdonotkeel)fortheirownconsumption。Butthewholeofthe

  sharesisequaltothewholeoftheproduce。Thedemonstration,therefore,iscomplete。

  (4。iii。13)Howcompletesoeverthedemonstrationmayappeartobe,thatthedemandofa

  nation

  mustalwaysbeequaltoitssupply,andthatitnevercanbewithoutamarketsufficiently

  enlargedforthewholeofitsproduce,thispropositionisseldomwellunderstood,andis

  sometimesexpresslycontradicted。

  (4。iii。14)Theobjectionisraiseduponthisfoundation,thatcommoditiesareoftenfoundto

  be

  tooabundantfordemand。

  (4。iii。15)Thematteroffactisnotdisputed。Itwilleasily,however,beseen,thatitaffectsnot

  the

  certaintyofthepropositionwhichitisbroughttooppugn。

  (4。iii。16)Thoughitbeundeniable,thatthedemand,whicheverymanbrings,isequaltothe

  supply,whichhebrings,hemaynotfindinthemarketthesortofpurchaser,whichhewants。No

  manmayhavecomedesiringthatsortofcommodity,ofwhichhehastodispose。Itisnotthe

  lessnecessarilytrue,thathecamewithademandequaltohissupply;forhewantedsomething

  inreturnforthegoodswhichhebroughtItmakesnodifferencetosay,thatperhapsheonly

  wantedmoney;formoneyisitselfgoods;and,besides,nomanwantsmoneybutinordertolay

  itout,eitherinarticlesofproductive,orarticlesofunproductiveconsumption。

  (4。iii。17)Everymanhavingademandandasupply,bothequal;ifanycommoditybein

  greater

  quantitythanthedemand,someothercommoditymustbeinless。

  (4。iii。18)Ifeverymanhasademandandsupplybothequal,thedemandandsupplyinthe

  aggregatearealwaysequal。Suppose,thatofthesetwoequalquantities,demandandsupply,the

  oneisdividedintoacertainnumberofparts,andtheotherintoasmanyparts,allequal;andthat

  thesepartscorrespondexactlywithoneanother;thatasmanypartsofthedemandasarefor

  corn,justsomanypartsofthesupplyareofcorn;asmanyoftheoneasareforcloth,somanyof

  theotherareofcloth,andsoon:itisevident,inthiscase,thattherewillbenoglutofanything

  whethertheamountoftheannualproducebegreatorsmall。Letusnextsuppose,thatthisexact

  adaptationtooneanotherofthepartsofdemandandsupplyisdisturbed;letussupposethat,the

  demandforclothremainingthesame,thesupplyofitisconsiderablyincreased:therewillof

  coursebeaglutofcloth,becausetherehasbeennoincreaseofdemand。Buttotheverysame

  amounttheremustofnecessitybeadeficiencyofotherthings;fortheadditionalquantityof

  cloth,whichhasbeenmade,couldbemadebyonemeansonly,bywithdrawingcapitalfromthe

  productionofothercommodities,andtherebylesseningthequantityproduced。Butifthe

  quantityofanycommodityisdiminished,ademandequaltothegreaterquantityremaining,the

  quantityofthatcommodityisdefective。Itis,therefore,impossible,thatthereshouldeverbein

  anycountryacommodityorcommoditiesinquantitygreaterthanthedemand,withoutthere

  being,toanequalamount,someothercommodityorcommoditiesinquantitylessthanthe

  demand。

  (4。iii。19)Theeffects,whichareproduced,inpractice,bythewantofadaptationintheparts

  of

  demandandsupply,arefamiliar。Thecommodity,whichhappenstobeinsuperabundance,

  declinesinprice;thecommodity,whichisdefectiveinquantity,rises。Thisisthefluctuationof

  themarket,whicheverybodysufficientlyunderstands。Thelownessoftheprice,inthearticle

  whichissuperabundant,soonremoves,bythediminutionofprofits,aportionofcapitalfrom

  thatlineofproduction:Thehighnessofprice,inthearticlewhichisscarce,invitesaquantityof

  capitaltothatbranchofproduction,tillprofitsareequalized,thatis,tillthedemandandsupply

  areadaptedtooneanother。

  (4。iii。20)Thestrongestcase,whichcouldbeput,infavourofthesuppositionthatproduce

  may

  increasefasterthanconsumption,wouldundoubtedlybethat,inwhich,everymanconsuming

  nothingbutnecessaries,alltherestoftheannualproduceshouldbesaved。Thisis,indeed,an

  impossiblecase,becauseitisinconsistentwiththelawsofhumannature。Theconsequencesof

  it,however,arecapableofbeingtraced;andtheyservetothrowlightupontheargument,by

  whichtheconstantequalityhasbeendemonstratedofproduceanddemand。

  (4。iii。21)Insuchacase,whatcametoeveryman’sshareoftheannualproduce,batinghis

  own

  consumptionofnecessaries,wouldbedevotedtoproduction。Allproductionwouldofcoursebe

  directedtorawproduceandafewofthecoarsermanufactures;becausethesearethearticlesfor

  whichalonetherewouldbeanydemand。Aseveryman’sshareoftheannualproduce,batinghis

  ownconsumptionwouldbelaidoutforthesakeofproduction,itwouldbelaidoutinthe

  articlessubservienttotheproductionofrawproduceandthecoarsermanufactures。Butthese

  articlesarepreciselyrawproduceandafewofthecoarsermanufacturesthemselves。Everymans

  demand,therefore,wouldconsistwhollyinthesearticles;butthewholeofthesupplywould

  consistalsointhesamearticles。Andithasbeenproved,thattheaggregatedemandand

  aggregatesupplyareequalofnecessity;becausethewholeortheannualproduce,batingthe

  portionconsumedbytheshareholders,isbroughtastheinstrumentofdemand;andthewholeof

  theannualproduce,withthesameabatement,isbroughtassupply。

  (4。iii。22)Itappears,therefore,byaccumulatedproof,thatproductioncanneverbetoorapid

  for

  demand。Productionisthecause,andthesolecause,ofdemand。Itneverfurnishessupply,

  withoutfurnishingdemand,bothatthesametime,andbothtoanequalextent。

  (4。iii。23)Ithasbeenobjected,that,forthevalidityoftheargumentitisnecessaryto

  suppose,

  \"thatnewtastesandnewwantsspringupwiththenewcapital。\"Asinglereflectionwill,Ithink,

  makeitclearthatthetaste,andwants,inquestion,areessentiallyandnecessarilyimpliedinthe

  veryexistenceofthecapital。

  (4。iii。24)Thenewcapitalisalltobelaidoutinthepurchaseofsomething,accordingtothe

  plansoftheowner。Itisofinfiniteimportancetoobserve,thateverycreationofcapitalisthe

  creationofademand。Itissurprisingthatthismaterialpointissofrequentlyoverlooked。It

  seemstobelittlelessthanselfevident,andifadmitted,itcarriesinitselfananswertoevery

  argumentthathasbeen,orthatcanbeadduced,infavouroftheglut。

  (4。iii。25)Whatisitthatwemean,whenwesaythedemandofanation,speakingofthe

  aggregate,andincludingadefinitecircleofproductionandconsumption,suchasthatofayear?

  Dowe,orcanwe,meananythingbutitspowerofpurchasing?Andwhatisitspowerof

  purchasing?Ofcourse,thegoodswhichcometomarket。What,ontheotherhand,isitwemean,

  when,speakinginlikemanneraggregately,andincludingthesamecircle,wesaythesupplyof

  thenation?Dowe,orcanwemeananything,butthegoodswhichcometomarket?The

  conclusionistooobvioustoneedtobedrawn。

  (4。iii。26)Whatproducestheconfusionofideas,whichsooftenoccursintheconsideration

  of

  thissubject,istheglut,whichmay,anddoestakeplace,ofparticularcommodities。Doesit

  followfromthis,thattherecanbeaglutofcommoditiesintheaggregate,whenitisnecessarily

  truethattherecannotbeanaggregatesupplywithoutanequalaggregatedemand,equalbothin

  quantityandinvalue?

  (4。iii。27)Totheargument,whichshowsthattothesamedegree,inwhichoneormore

  commoditiesmaybeinsuchabundanceasexceedsthedemand,someothercommoditiesmust

  fallshortofthedemand,ithasbeenreplied,thatthecommoditieswhicharesuppliedin

  superabundancefallinvalue,thatthisinvolvesalltheeviloftheglut,andisthereforeareplyto

  thewholeoftheargumentwhichdeniesitsexistence。

  (4。iii。28)Thisisareplyinwordsonly。Whatismaintainedinmyargumentis,thattherecan

  be

  noglutofcommoditiesintheaggregate,thoughtheremaybeinparticularinstances。Theanswer

  madetomeisthattheremaybeaglutinparticularinstances。

  (4。iii。29)Intheverywordsofthepretendedreply,thecertaintyofthedisputedfactis

  admitted。

  Thevalue,itissaid,ofthegoods,whichareinthestateofsuperabundance,falls。Ifthisisnota

  playupontheword,itimpliestheverythingwhichitisbroughttodispute,thatwheneverone

  setofgoodsissuppliedabovethedemand,anotherissuppliedbelowthedemand。

  (4。iii。30)Whatisitthatisnecessarilymeant,whenwesaythatthesupplyandthedemand

  are

  accommodatedtooneanother?Itisthis:thatgoodswhichhavebeenproducedbyacertain

  quantityoflabour,exchangeforgoodswhichhavebeenproducedbyanequalquantityoflabour。

  Letthispropositionbedulyattendedto,andalltherestisclear。

  (4。iii。31)Thus,ifapairofshoesisproducedwithanequalquantityoflabourasahat,so

  longas

  ahatexchangesforapairofshoes,solongthesupplyanddemandareaccommodatedtoone

  another。Ifitshouldsohappenthatshoesfellinvalue,ascomparedwithhats,whichisthesame

  thingashatsrisinginvaluecomparedwithshoes,thiswouldimplythatmoreshoeshadbeen

  broughttomarket,ascomparedwithhats。Shoeswouldthenbeinmorethanthedueabundance。

  Why?Becauseinthemtheproduceofacertainquantityoflabourwouldnotexchangeforthe

  produceofanequalquantity。Butfortheverysamereasonhatswouldbeinlessthanthedue

  abundance,becausetheproduceofacertainquantityoflabourinthemwouldexchangeforthe

  produceofmorethananequalquantityinshoes。

  (4。iii。32)Whatistrueofanyoneinstanceistrueofanynumberofinstances。Itistherefore

  universallytrue,that,astheaggregatedemandandaggregatesupplyofanationnevercanbe

  unequaltooneanother,sotherenevercanbeasuperabundantsupplyinparticularinstances,and

  henceafallinexchangeablevaluebelowthecostofproduction,withoutacorresponding

  deficiencyofsupply,andhenceariseinexchangeablevalue,beyondcostofproduction,inother

  instances。Thedoctrineoftheglut,therefore,seemstobedisprovedbyreasoningperfectly

  conclusive。

  (4。iii。33)Letusrecapitulatethepoints。Aglut,asitissupposedinthisdoctrine,namelyan

  excessofproductionintheaggregate,cantakeplaceonlybyacontinuedincreaseofproduction。

  Letusimaginethatwehavejustcometothesupposedpoint,when,thesupplybeingfull,any

  additionalproductionwillbesomuchofglut。Theadditionalproductiontakesplace,andcomes

  tomarket。Whatistheconsequence?Thisnewproductseeksanequivalent。Thatistosay,itisa

  newdemand。Howthenisitpossibletosaythateverynewsupplyisaglut,whenanewdemand

  iscreatedequaltoit?Itisobviouslynugatorytosay,thatthisnewsupplymaynotfind

  purchasers,orthenewdemandmaynotfindthecommoditiestowhichitisdirected;forthisis

  onlytosaythatinparticularinstancestheremay,frommiscalculation,besuperabundanceor

  defect。Thenaturaleffects,insuchacase,maybeeasilytraced,andtheyafforddecisive

  evidence。Thecommodities,ofwhichtheadditionalproductionconsists,maybenaturally

  supposedtoconsistofsomeofthesortswhicharepreviouslyinthemarket。Bysupposition,the

  goodspreviouslyinthemarketwereaccommodatedtooneanother,nospeciesbeingeitherin

  defective,orsuperabundantsupply。Theadditionwhichismadetosomesortsofthesegoods,by

  thenewproduction,wouldrenderthemsuperabundant,iftherewasnotanewdemandcreated。

  Thesegoodswouldfallinexchangeablevalueascomparedwithothers,otherswouldrisein

  exchangeablevalueascomparedwiththem。Butthereisanewdemandcreated;fortheownerof

  thenewproduce,ashehascomeintothemarkettosellgoodsofsomekinds,sohehascometo

  buygoodsofsomeotherkinds。Asthesupply,whichhebrought,ofcertainkindsofgoods

  tendedtoreducetheirvalue,sothedemand,whichhebrings,forotherkindstendstoincrease

  theirvalue。Theresultis,thatnowtherearecertainkindsofgoods,whichitislessprofitable

  thanusualtoproduce;others,whichitismoreprofitablethanusualtoproduce:andthisisan

  inequality,whichtendsimmediatelytocorrectitself。Thisisthemode,inwhicheveryaddition

  ismadetotheproductionsofacountry,anditisamode,whichisevidentlythesameatevery

  stageoftheprogress,fromthegreatestdefect。tothegreatestexcess,ofnationalriches。It

  commonly,ofcourse,happens,thattheman,whobringsintothemarketanadditionofproduce,

  endeavourstobringitingoodsthatareindefectivesupply,andtopurchasegoodsthatarein

  superabundantsupply;andthestateofthemarketgenerallyenableshimtodoso:sothatan

  additionofproducebroughtintothemarketmayjustasoftenremedyaglutasbeinanydegree

  thecauseofit。

  (4。iii。34)ThedoctrineofMr。Malthus,onthesubjectoftheglut,seems,atlast,toamountto

  this:thatifsavingweretogoonatacertainrate,capitalwouldincreasefasterthanpopulation;

  andthatifcapitaldidsoincrease,wageswouldbecomeveryhigh,andprofitswouldsustaina

  correspondingdepression。Butthis,ifitwereallallowed,doesnotprovetheexistenceofaglut;

  itonlyprovesanotherthing,namely,thattherewouldbehighwagesandlowprofits。Whether

  suchanincreaseofcapital,scarcelycomingwithintherangeevenofarationalsupposition,

  wouldbeagoodthingoranevilthing,itwouldinfalliblyproduceitsownremedy,asthepower,

  ofcapitaltoincreaseisdiminishedwiththediminutionofprofits。

  (4。iii。35)Mr。Malthusfurthersays,thatthehighwagesthusproducedwouldgenerate

  idlenessin

  theclassoflabourers。Thepredictionmaybedisputed;but,allowedtobecorrect,whatisits

  import?If,wagescontinuingthesame,lessworkisdone,thisishigherpayforanequalquantity

  oflabour;itisthereforethesamethingasariseofwages。Itwouldmerelyacceleratethat

  diminutionofprofits,whichmustintimeretardandfinallystoptheincreaseofcapital,in

  consequenceofwhichwageswouldnaturallyfall。This,therefore,isnotadifferentobjection

  fromtheformer;itispreciselythesameobjection,onlyinadifferentform。

  (4。iii。36)Mr。Malthus,thus,totallyfailingtoproveaglut,evenfromacontinuedincreaseof

  capitalgreaterthanthegreatestincreaseofpopulation,substitutes,forargumentstoprovethat

  effect,argumentstoprovecertainothereffects。

  (4。iii。37)Hesays,thatweretheannualproducethustogoonincreasing,itsvaluewouldbe

  diminished。Butthisismerelyaplayupontheword。Hesays,Icallthevalueofacommoditythe

  numberofdays’wagesitisequalto。Ifthenwagesaremorethandoubled,thoughyoudoublethe

  amountofyourcommodities,andhavetwiceasmuchofeverything,yetyouwillhaveless

  value。Anarbitrarychange,however,inthemeaningofawordprovesnothing。Thefacts,and

  theirrelations,remainthesome,whateverMr。Malthus,orI,maychoosetocallthem。Thefacts

  stillaremerelythese,thatsocietywouldhavethesupposedamountofcommodities,andallits

  benefits,andthatwageswouldbeveryhigh。

  (4。iii。38)Mr。Malthusfurthersays,thatthisrapidincreaseofcapitalwouldtendtodiminish

  production。Thatonwhichtheincreaseofproductiondepends,istheincreaseofitstwo

  instruments,capitalandlabourers。BytheverysuppositionwhichMr。Malthushimselfhas

  made,andonwhichheisreasoning,bothoftheseinstrumentsareincreasingattheirmostrapid

  possiblerate。Itseemsthereforeamostextraordinarysupposition,thatproductionshouldnotbe

  increasingatitsmostrapidpossiblerate。

  (4。iii。39)Ifitbetrue,asMr。Malthussupposes,thatthehighwagessupposedwould

  diminish

  labour,itwillbetruethatlessworkwillbedone,andlessproductioneffected,thanifeveryman

  workedmore。Letussupposethatthediminutionoflabourgoesongradually,aswagesincrease,

  tillatlasteachmandoesonlyhalfasmuchworkasbefore,whatthenistheconsequence?

  Merelythis,thatifpopulationisgoingonatitsgreatestpossiblerate,doublingitselfintwenty

  years,therewillnotbeagreaterincreaseofproductionfromlabour,thantherewouldbeifit

  doubleditselfonlyinfortyyears,andeachmanperformedtwiceasmuchwork。Thiswouldstill

  beamorerapidratethanthatatwhichcapitalincreases,exceptinsomeveryrareand

  extraordinarycircumstances。But,iflabourweresoverydear,andcapitalsoabundant,the

  consequencewouldbe,thataslittleaspossibleofproductionwouldbeperformedbyman’s

  labour,asmuchaspossiblebymachineryandcattle。Ingenuitywouldberackedtofindthe

  meansofsupersedingthemostcostlyinstrument。Machineswouldbemultipliedandimproved

  withoutend;andamuchgreaterproportionoftheannualproducewouldbetheresultofcapital,

  amuchlesstheresultofimmediatelabour。Thediminutionofproductionwouldnotthereforebe

  nearlyinproportiontothediminutionofeachman’slabour。

  (4。iii。40)Thesupposedeffectsthereforearereallyofnoimportance,otherwiseitmightstill

  be

  questionedhowfartheinferenceiswarranted,thathighwagestendtodiminishindustry。

  Experienceseemstobeveryfullontheoppositeside。Wherewagesareexcessivelylow,asin

  Ireland,thereisnoindustry;whereexcessivelyhigh,asintheAmericanUnitedStates,thereis

  thegreatest。WhatdoesMr。Malthushimselfmeanbythestimuluswhichhesaysisgivento

  industrybyanenlargementofthemarket?

  SectionIV。InWhatMannerGovernmentConsumes(4。iv。1)Allconsumptioniseitherbyindividuals,orbythegovernment。Havingtreatedofthe

  consumptionofindividuals,itonlyremainsthatwetreatofthatwhichhasgovernmentforits

  cause。

  (4。iv。2)Althoughtheconsumptionbygovernment,asfarasreallynecessary,isofthe

  highest

  importance,itisnot,unlessveryindirectly,subservienttoproduction。Thatwhichisconsumed

  bygovernment,insteadofbeingconsumedascapital,andreplacedbyaproduce,isconsumed,

  andproducesnothing。Thisconsumptionis,indeed,thecauseofthatprotection,underwhichall

  productionhastakenplace;butifotherthingswerenotconsumedinawaydifferentfromthatin

  whichthingsareconsumedbygovernment,therewouldbenoproduce。Thesearereasonsfor

  placingtheexpenditureofgovernmentundertheheadofunproductiveconsumption。

  (4。iv。3)Therevenueofgovernmentmustbederivedfromrent,fromprofitsofstock,orfrom

  wagesoflabour。

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