IftheProfessorthenfound,thatinaccordancewiththecalculationofthemanufacturers,theworkmanreproducedorreplacedhiswagesin2half—hours,inthatcase,heshouldhavecontinuedhisanalysisthus:
Accordingtoyourfigures,theworkmaninthelasthourbutoneproduceshiswages,andinthelasthouryoursurplus—valueornetprofit。Now,sinceinequalperiodsheproducesequalvalues,theproduceofthelasthourbutone,musthavethesamevalueasthatofthelasthour。Further,itisonlywhilehelaboursthatheproducesanyvalueatall,andtheamountofhislabourismeasuredbyhislabour—time。Thisyousay,amountsto111/2hoursaday。Heemploysoneportionofthese111/2hours,inproducingorreplacinghiswages,andtheremainingportioninproducingyournetprofit。Beyondthishedoesabsolutelynothing。Butsince,onyourassumption,hiswages,andthesurplus—valueheyields,areofequalvalue,itisclearthatheproduceshiswagesin53/4hours,andyournetprofitintheother53/4hours。Again,sincethevalueoftheyarnproducedin2hours,isequaltothesumofthevaluesofhiswagesandofyournetprofit,themeasureofthevalueofthisyarnmustbe111/2
working—hours,ofwhich53/4hoursmeasurethevalueoftheyarnproducedinthelasthourbutone,and53/4,thevalueoftheyarnproducedinthelasthour。Wenowcometoaticklishpoint;therefore,attention!Thelastworking—hourbutoneis,likethefirst,anordinaryworking—hour,neithermorenorless。Howthencanthespinnerproduceinonehour,intheshapeofyarn,avaluethatembodies53/4hours’labour?Thetruthisthatheperformsnosuchmiracle。Theuse—valueproducedbyhiminonehour,isadefinitequantityofyarn。Thevalueofthisyarnismeasuredby53/4working—hours,ofwhich43/4were,withoutanyassistancefromhim,previouslyembodiedinthemeansofproduction,inthecotton,themachinery,andsoon;theremainingonehouraloneisaddedbyhim。
Thereforesincehiswagesareproducedin53/4hours,andtheyarnproducedinonehouralsocontains53/4hours’work,thereisnowitchcraftintheresult,thatthevaluecreatedbyhis53/4hours’spinning,isequaltothevalueoftheproductspuninonehour。Youarealtogetheronthewrongtrack,ifyouthinkthathelosesasinglemomentofhisworking—day,inreproducingorreplacingthevaluesofthecotton,themachinery,andsoon。Onthecontrary,itisbecausehislabourconvertsthecottonandspindlesintoyarn,becausehespins,thatthevaluesofthecottonandspindlesgoovertotheyarnoftheirownaccord。Thisresultisowingtothequalityofhislabour,nottoitsquantity。Itistrue,hewillinonehourtransfertotheyarnmorevalue,intheshapeofcotton,thanhewillinhalfanhour;butthatisonlybecauseinonehourhespinsupmorecottonthaninhalfanhour。Youseethen,yourassertion,thattheworkmanproduces,inthelasthourbutone,thevalueofhiswages,andinthelasthouryournetprofit,amountstonomorethanthis,thatintheyarnproducedbyhimin2working—hours,whethertheyarethe2
firstorthe2lasthoursoftheworking—day,inthatyarn,thereareincorporated111/2working—hours,orjustawholeday’swork,i。e。,twohoursofhisownworkand91/2hoursofotherpeople’s。Andmyassertionthat,inthefirst53/4hours,heproduceshiswages,andinthelast53/4
hoursyournetprofit,amountsonlytothis,thatyoupayhimfortheformer,butnotforthelatter。Inspeakingofpaymentoflabour,insteadofpaymentoflabour—power,Ionlytalkyourownslang。Now,gentlemen,ifyoucomparetheworking—timeyoupayfor,withthatwhichyoudonotpayfor,youwillfindthattheyaretooneanother,ashalfadayistohalfaday;thisgivesarateof100%,andaveryprettypercentageitis。Further,thereisnottheleastdoubt,thatifyoumakeyou"hands"toilfor13hours,insteadof111/2,and,asmaybeexpectedfromyou,treattheworkdoneinthatextraonehourandahalf,aspuresurplus—labour,thenthelatterwillbeincreasedfrom53/4hours’labourto71/4hours’labour,andtherateofsurplus—valuefrom100%to1262/23%。Sothatyouarealtogethertoosanguine,inexpectingthatbysuchanadditionof11/2hourstotheworking—day,theratewillrisefrom100%to200%
andmore,inotherwordsthatitwillbe"morethandoubled。"Ontheotherhand—man’sheartisawonderfulthing,especiallywhencarriedinthepurse?youtaketo;pessimistaview,whenyoufear,thatwithareductionofthehoursoflabourfrom111/2to10,thewholeofyournetprofitwillgotothedogs。Notatall。Allotherconditionsremainingthesame,thesurplus—labourwillfallfrom53/4hoursto4
3/4hours,aperiodthatstillgivesaveryprofitablerateofsurplus—value,namely8214/23%。Butthisdreadful"lasthour,"aboutwhichyouhaveinventedmorestoriesthanhavethemillenariansaboutthedayofjudgment,is"allbosh。"Ifitgoes,itwillcostneitheryou,yournetprofit,northeboysandgirlswhomyouemploy,their"purityofmind。"[11]Wheneveryour"lasthour"strikesinearnest,thinkoftheOxfordProfessor。Andnow,gentlemen,"farewell,andmaywemeetagaininyonderbetterworld,butnotbefore。"
Seniorinventedthebattlecryofthe"lasthour"in1836。[12]IntheLondonEconomistofthe15thApril,1848,thesamecrywasagainraisedbyJamesWilson,aneconomicmandarinofhighstanding:thistimeinoppositiontothe10hours’bill。
SECTION4。SURPLUS—PRODUCE
Theportionoftheproductthatrepresentsthesurplus—value,(onetenthofthe20lbs。,or2lbs。ofyarn,intheexamplegiveninSec。2)wecall"surplus—produce。"Justastherateofsurplus—valueisdeterminedbyitsrelation,nottothesumtotalofthecapital,buttoitsvariablepart;
inlikemanner,therelativequantityofsurplus—produceisdeterminedbytheratiothatthisproducebears,nottotheremainingpartofthetotalproduct,buttothatpartofitinwhichisincorporatedthenecessarylabour。Sincetheproductionofsurplus—valueisthechiefendandaimofcapitalistproduction,itisclear,thatthegreatnessofaman’soranation’swealthshouldbemeasured,notbytheabsolutequantityproduced,butbytherelativemagnitudeofthesurplus—produce。[13]
Thesumofthenecessarylabourandthesurplus—labour,i。e。,oftheperiodsoftimeduringwhichtheworkmanreplacesthevalueofhislabour—power,andproducesthesurplus—value,thissumconstitutestheactualtimeduringwhichheworks,i。e。,theworking—day。
Footnotes[1]"Ifwereckonthevalueofthefixedcapitalemployedasapartoftheadvances,wemustreckontheremainingvalueofsuchcapitalattheendoftheyearasapartoftheannualreturns。"(Malthus,"Princ。ofPol。
Econ。"2nd。ed。,Lond。,1836,p。269。)
[2]WhatLucretiussaysisself—evident;"nilpossecrearidenihilo,"outofnothing,nothingcanbecreated。Creationofvalueistransformationoflabour—powerintolabour。Labourpoweritselfisenergytransferredtoahumanorganismbymeansofnourishingmatter。
[3]InthesamewaythattheEnglishusetheterms"rateofprofit,""rateofinterest。"Weshallsee,inBookIII,thattherateofprofitisnomystery,sosoonasweknowthelawsofsurplus—value。Ifwereversetheprocess,wecannotcomprehendeithertheoneortheother。
[4]Noteaddedinthe3rdGermanedition。?Theauthorresortsheretotheeconomiclanguageincurrentuse。Itwillberememberedthatonp。182(presentedition,p。174)itwasshownthatinrealitythelabourer"advances"tothecapitalistandnotthecapitalisttothelabourer。?F。E。
[5]Inthiswork,wehave,uptonow,employedtheterm"necessarylabour—time,"
todesignatethetimenecessaryundergivensocialconditionsfortheproductionofanycommodity。Henceforwardweuseittodesignatealsothetimenecessaryfortheproductionoftheparticularcommoditylabour—power。Theuseofoneandthesametechnicaltermindifferentsensesisinconvenient,butinnosciencecanitbealtogetheravoided。Compare,forinstance,thehigherwiththelowerbranchesofmathematics。
[6]HerrWilhelmThucydidesRoscherhasfoundamare’snest。Hehasmadetheimportantdiscoverythatif,ontheonehand,theformationofsurplus—value,orsurplus—produce,andtheconsequentaccumulationofcapital,isnow—a—daysduetothethriftofthecapitalist,ontheotherhand,intheloweststagesofcivilisationitisthestrongwhocompeltheweaktoeconomise。(l。
c。,p。78。)Toeconomisewhat?Labour?Orsuperfluouswealththatdoesnotexist?WhatisitthatmakessuchmenasRoscheraccountfortheoriginofsurplus—value,byamererechaufféofthemoreoflessplausibleexcusesbythecapitalist,forhisappropriationofsurplus—value?Itis,besidestheirrealignorance,theirapologeticdreadofascientificanalysisofvalueandsurplus—value,andofobtainingaresult,possiblynotaltogetherpalatabletothepowersthatbe。
[7]Althoughtherateofsurplus—valueisanexactexpressionforthedegreeofexploitationoflabour—power,itis,innosense,anexpressionfortheabsoluteamountofexploitation。Forexample,ifthenecessarylabour5hoursandthesurplus—labour=5hours,thedegreeofexploitationis100%。Theamountofexploitationisheremeasuredby5hours。If,ontheotherhand,thenecessarylabour=6hoursandthesurplus—labour=6hours,thedegreeofexploitationremains,asbefore,100%,whiletheactualamountofexploitationhasincreased20%,namelyfromfivehourstosix。
[8]Theabovedata,whichmaybereliedupon,weregivenmebyaManchesterspinner。InEnglandthehorse—powerofanenginewasformerlycalculatedfromthediameterofitscylinder,nowtheactualhorse—powershownbytheindicatoristaken。
[9]Thecalculationsgiveninthetextareintendedmerelyasillustrations。
Wehaveinfact。assumedthatprices=values。Weshall,however,see,inBookIll。,thateveninthecaseofaveragepricestheassumptioncannotbemadeinthisverysimplemanner。
[10]Senior,l。c。,pp。12,13。Weletpasssuchextraordinarynotionsasareofnoimportanceforourpurpose;forinstance,theassertion,thatmanufacturersreckonaspartoftheirprofit,grossornet,theamountrequiredtomakegoodwearandtearofmachinery,orinotherwords,toreplaceapartofthecapital。So,too,wepassoveranyquestionastotheaccuracyofhisfigures。LeonardHomerhasshownin"ALettertoMr。Senior,"&c。,London,1837,thattheyareworthnomorethanso—called"Analysis。"LeonardHornerwasoneoftheFactoryInquiryCommissionersin1833,andInspector,orratherCensorofFactoriestill1859。HerenderedundyingservicetotheEnglishworking—class。Hecarriedonalife—longcontest,notonlywiththeembitteredmanufacturers,butalsowiththeCabinet,towhomthenumberofvotesgivenbythemastersintheLowerHouse,wasamatteroffargreaterimportancethanthenumberofhoursworkedbythe"hands"inthemills。
Apartfromeffortsinprinciple,Senior’sstatementisconfused。
Whathereallyintendedtosaywasthis:Themanufactureremploystheworkmanfor111/2hoursorfor23half—hoursdaily。Astheworking—day,so,too,theworkingyear,maybeconceivedtoconsistof111/2hoursor23half—hours,buteachmultipliedbythenumberofworking—daysintheyear。Onthissupposition,the23half—hoursyieldanannualproductof£115,000;
onehalf—houryields1/23x£115,000;20half—hoursyield20/23x£115,000=£100,000,i。e。,theyreplacenomorethanthecapitaladvanced。Thereremain3half—hours,whichyield3/23x£115,000
=£5,000orthegrossprofit。Ofthese3half—hours,oneyields1/23
x£115,000=£5,000;i。e。,itmakesupforthewearandtearofthemachinery;theremaining2half—hours,i。e。,thelasthour,yield2/23x£115,000=£10,000orthenetprofit。
InthetextSeniorconvertsthelast2/23oftheproductintoportionsoftheworking—dayitself。
[11]If,ontheonehand,Seniorprovedthatthenetprofitofthemanufacturer,theexistenceoftheEnglishcottonindustry,andEngland’scommandofthemarketsoftheworld,dependon"thelastworking—hour,"ontheotherhand,Dr。AndrewUreshowed,thatifchildrenandyoungpersonsunder18
yearsofage,insteadofbeingkeptthefull12hoursinthewarmandpuremoralatmosphereofthefactory,areturnedoutanhoursoonerintotheheartlessandfrivolousouterworld,theywillbedeprived,byidlenessandvice,ofallhopeofsalvationfortheirsouls。Since1848,thefactoryinspectorshavenevertiredoftwittingthemasterswiththis"last,"this"fatalhour。"ThusMr。Hovellinhisreportofthe21stMay,1855:"Hadthefollowingingeniouscalculation(hequotesSenior)beencorrect,everycottonfactoryintheUnitedKingdomwouldhavebeenworkingatalosssincetheyear1850。"(ReportsoftheInsp。ofFact。,forthehalf—year,ending30thApril,1855,pp。19,20。)Intheyear1848,afterthepassingofthe10hours’bill,themastersofsomeflaxspinningmills,scattered,fewandfarbetween,overthecountryonthebordersofDorsetandSomerset,foistedapetitionagainstthebillontotheshouldersofafewoftheirwork—people。Oneoftheclausesofthispetitionisasfollows:"Yourpetitioners,asparents,conceivethatanadditionalhourofleisurewilltendmoretodemoralisethechildrenthanotherwise,believingthatidlenessistheparentofvice。"Onthisthefactoryreportof31stOct。,1848,says:Theatmosphereoftheflaxmills,inwhichthechildrenofthesevirtuousandtenderparentswork,issoloadedwithdustandfibrefromtherawmaterial,thatitisexceptionallyunpleasanttostandeven10minutesinthespinningrooms:foryouareunabletodosowithoutthemostpainfulsensation,owingtotheeyes,theears,thenostrils,andmouth,beingimmediatelyfilledbythecloudsofflaxdustfromwhichthereisnoescape。Thelabouritself,owingtothefeverishhasteofthemachinery,demandsunceasingapplicationofskillandmovement,underthecontrolofawatchfulnessthatnevertires,anditseemssomewhathard,toletparentsapplytheterm"idling"totheirownchildren,who,afterallowingformeal—times,arefetteredfor10wholehourstosuchanoccupation,insuchanatmosphere……
Thesechildrenworklongerthanthelabourersintheneighbouringvillages……
Suchcrueltalkabout"idlenessandvice"oughttobebrandedasthepurestcant,andthemostshamelesshypocrisy……Thatportionofthepublic,who,about12yearsago,werestruckbytheassurancewithwhich,underthesanctionofhighauthority,itwaspubliclyandmostearnestlyproclaimed,thatthewholenetprofitofthemanufacturerflowsfromthelabourofthelasthour,andthat,therefore,thereductionoftheworking—daybyonehour,woulddestroyhisnetprofit,thatportionofthepublic,wesay,willhardlybelieveitsowneyes,whenitnowfinds,thattheoriginaldiscoveryofthevirtuesof"thelasthour"hassincebeensofarimproved,astoincludemoralsaswellasprofit;sothat,ifthedurationofthelabourofchildren,isreducedtoafull10hours,theirmorals,togetherwiththenetprofitsoftheiremployers,willvanish,bothbeingdependentonthislast,thisfatalhour。(SeeRepts。,Insp。ofFact。,for31stOct。,1848,p。101。)Thesamereportthengivessomeexamplesofthemoralityandvirtueofthesesamepure—mindedmanufacturers,ofthetricks,theartifices,thecajoling,thethreats,andthefalsifications,theymadeuseof,inorder,first,tocompelafewdefencelessworkmentosignpetitionsofsuchakind,andthentoimposethemuponParliamentasthepetitionsofawholebranchofindustry,orawholecountry。Itishighlycharacteristicofthepresentstatusofso—calledeconomicscience,thatneitherSeniorhimself,who,atalaterperiod,tohishonourbeitsaid,energeticallysupportedthefactorylegislation,norhisopponents,fromfirsttolast,haveeverbeenabletoexplainthefalseconclusionsofthe"originaldiscovery。"
Theyappealtoactualexperience,butthewhyandwhereforeremainsamystery。
[12]Nevertheless,thelearnedprofessorwasnotwithoutsomebenefitfromhisjourneytoManchester。Inthe"LettersontheFactoryAct,"hemakesthewholenetgainsincluding"profit"and"interests"andeven"somethingmore,"dependuponasingleunpaidhour’sworkofthelabourer。Oneyearpreviously,inhis"OutlinesofPoliticalEconomy,"writtenfortheinstructionofOxfordstudentsandcultivatedPhilistines,hehadalso"discovered,inoppositiontoRicardo’sdeterminationofvaluebylabour,thatprofitisderivedfromthelabourofthecapitalist,andinterestfromhisasceticism,inotherwords,fromhisabstinence。"Thedodgewasanoldone,buttheword"abstinence"wasnew。HerrRoschertranslatesitrightlyby"Enthaltung。"
Someofhiscountrymen,theBrowns,Jones,andRobinsons,ofGermany,notsowellversedinLatinashe,have,monk—like,rendereditby"Entsagung"
(renunciation)。
[13]"Toanindividualwithacapitalof£20,000,whoseprofitswere£2,000
perannum,itwouldbeamatterquiteindifferentwhetherhiscapitalwouldemploya100or1,000men,whetherthecommodityproducedsoldfor£10,000
or£20,000,provided,inallcases,hisprofitwerenotdiminishedbelow£2,000。Isnottherealinterestofthenationsimilar?Provideditsnetrealincome,itsrentandprofits,bethesame,itisofnoimportancewhetherthenationconsistsof10orof12millionsofinhabitants。"(Ric。
l。c。,。p。416。)LongbeforeRicardo,ArthurYoung,afanaticalupholderofsurplus—produce,fortherest,arambling,uncriticalwriter,whosereputationisintheinverseratioofhismerit,says,"Ofwhatuse,inamodemkingdom,wouldbeawholeprovincethusdivided[intheoldRomanmanner,bysmallindependentpeasants],howeverwellcultivated,exceptforthemerepurposeofbreedingmen,whichtakensinglyisamostuselesspurpose?"(ArthurYoung:"PoliticalArithmetic,&c。"London,1774,p。47。)
Verycuriousis"thestronginclination……torepresentnetwealthasbeneficialtothelabouringclass……thoughitisevidentlynotonaccountofbeingnet。"(Th。Hopkins,"OnRentofLand,&c。"London,1828,p。126。)
ChapterTenKarlMarxCapitalVolumeOnePartIII:
TheProductionofAbsoluteSurplus—ValueCHAPTERTEN:
THEWORKING—DAY
ContentsSection1—TheLimitsoftheWorking—DaySection2—TheGreedforSurplus—Labour。ManufacturerandBoyardSection3—BranchesofEnglishIndustrywithoutLegalLimitstoExploitationSection4—DayandNightWork。TheRelaySystemSection5—TheStruggleforaNormalWorking—Day。CompulsoryLawsfortheExtensionoftheWorking—DayfromtheMiddleofthe14thtotheEndofthe17thCenturySection6—TheStrugglefortheNormalWorking—Day。
CompulsoryLimitationbyLawoftheWorking—Time。TheEnglishFactoryActs,1833to1864
Section7—TheStrugglefortheNormalWorking—Day。
ReactionoftheEnglishFactoryActsonOtherCountriesSECTION1THELIMITSOFTHEWORKING—DAY
Westartedwiththesuppositionthatlabour—powerisboughtandsoldatitsvalue。Itsvalue,likethatofallothercommodities,isdeterminedbytheworking—timenecessarytoitsproduction。Iftheproductionoftheaveragedailymeansofsubsistenceofthelabourertakesup6hours,hemustwork,ontheaverage,6hourseveryday,toproducehisdailylabour—power,ortoreproducethevaluereceivedastheresultofitssale。Thenecessarypartofhisworking—dayamountsto6hours,andis,therefore,caeterisparibus,agivenquantity。Butwiththis,theextentoftheworking—dayitselfisnotyetgiven。
LetusassumethatthelineA?Brepresentsthelengthofthenecessaryworking—time,say6hours。Ifthelabourbeprolonged1,3,or6hoursbeyondA?B,wehave3otherlines:
Working—dayI。Working—dayII。
Working—dayIII。
A棗桞—C。A棗桞?C;
A棗桞棗桟。
representing3differentworking—daysof7,9,and12hours。TheextensionB?CofthelineA?Brepresentsthelengthofthesurplus—labour。Astheworking—dayisA?BB?CorA?C,itvarieswiththevariablequantityB?C。SinceA?Bisconstant,theratioofB?CtoA?Bcanalwaysbecalculated。
Inworking—dayI,itis1/6,inworking—dayII,3/6,inworkingdayIII
6/6ofA?B。Sincefurthertheratiosurplusworking—time,棗棗棗棗棗—
necessaryworking—time,determinestherateofthesurplus—value,thelatterisgivenbytheratioofB?CtoA?B。Itamountsinthe3differentworking—daysrespectivelyto162/3,50and100percent。Ontheotherhand,therateofsurplus—valuealonewouldnotgiveustheextentoftheworking—day。Ifthisrate,e。g。,were100percent。,theworking—daymightbeof8,10,12,ormorehours。
Itwouldindicatethatthe2constituentpartsoftheworking—day,necessary—labourandsurplus—labourtime,wereequalinextent,butnothowlongeachofthesetwoconstituentpartswas。
Theworking—dayisthusnotaconstant,butavariablequantity。Oneofitsparts,certainly,isdeterminedbytheworking—timerequiredforthereproductionofthelabour—powerofthelabourerhimself。Butitstotalamountvarieswiththedurationofthesurplus—labour。Theworking—dayis,therefore,determinable,butis,perse,indeterminate。[1]
Althoughtheworking—dayisnotafixed,butafluentquantity,itcan,ontheotherhand,onlyvarywithincertainlimits。Theminimumlimitis,however,notdeterminable;ofcourse,ifwemaketheextensionlineB?C
orthesurplus—labour=0,wehaveaminimumlimit,i。e。,thepartofthedaywhichthelabourermustnecessarilyworkforhisownmaintenance。
Onthebasisofcapitalistproduction,however,thisnecessarylabourcanformapartonlyoftheworking—day;theworking—dayitselfcanneverbereducedtothisminimum。Ontheotherhand,theworking—dayhasamaximumlimit。Itcannotbeprolongedbeyondacertainpoint。Thismaximumlimitisconditionedbytwothings。First,bythephysicalboundsoflabour—power。
Withinthe24hoursofthenaturaldayamancanexpendonlyadefinitequantityofhisvitalforce。Ahorse,inlikemanner,canonlyworkfromdaytoday,8hours。Duringpartofthedaythisforcemustrest,sleep;
duringanotherpartthemanhastosatisfyotherphysicalneeds,tofeed,wash,andclothehimself。Besidesthesepurelyphysicallimitations,theextensionoftheworking—dayencountersmoralones。Thelabourerneedstimeforsatisfyinghisintellectualandsocialwants,theextentandnumberofwhichareconditionedbythegeneralstateofsocialadvancement。Thevariationoftheworking—dayfluctuates,therefore,withinphysicalandsocialbounds。Butboththeselimitingconditionsareofaveryelasticnature,andallowthegreatestlatitude。Sowefindworking—daysof8,10,12,14,16,18hours,i。e。,ofthemostdifferentlengths。
Thecapitalisthasboughtthelabour—poweratitsday—rate。Tohimitsuse—valuebelongsduringoneworking—day。Hehasthusacquiredtherighttomakethelabourerworkforhimduringoneday。But,whatisaworking—day?[2]
Atallevents,lessthananaturalday。Byhowmuch?
ThecapitalisthashisownviewsofthisultimaThule,thenecessarylimitoftheworking—day。Ascapitalist,heisonlycapitalpersonified。
Hissoulisthesoulofcapital。Butcapitalhasonesinglelifeimpulse,thetendencytocreatevalueandsurplus—value,tomakeitsconstantfactor,themeansofproduction,absorbthegreatestpossibleamountofsurplus—labour。[3]
Capitalisdeadlabour,that,vampire—like,onlylivesbysuckinglivinglabour,andlivesthemore,themorelabouritsucks。Thetimeduringwhichthelabourerworks,isthetimeduringwhichthecapitalistconsumesthelabour—powerhehaspurchasedofhim。[4]
Ifthelabourerconsumeshisdisposabletimeforhimself,herobsthecapitalist。[5]
Thecapitalistthentakeshisstandonthelawoftheexchangeofcommodities。
He,likeallotherbuyers,seekstogetthegreatestpossiblebenefitoutoftheuse—valueofhiscommodity。Suddenlythevoiceofthelabourer,whichhadbeenstifledinthestormandstressoftheprocessofproduction,rises:
ThecommoditythatIhavesoldtoyoudiffersfromthecrowdofothercommodities,inthatitsusecreatesvalue,andavaluegreaterthanitsown。Thatiswhyyouboughtit。Thatwhichonyoursideappearsaspontaneousexpansionofcapital,isonmineextraexpenditureoflabour—power。YouandIknowonthemarketonlyonelaw,thatoftheexchangeofcommodities。
Andtheconsumptionofthecommoditybelongsnottothesellerwhopartswithit,buttothebuyer,whoacquiresit。Toyou,therefore,belongstheuseofmydailylabour—power。Butbymeansofthepricethatyoupayforiteachday,Imustbeabletoreproduceitdaily,andtosellitagain。
Apartfromnaturalexhaustionthroughage,&c。,Imustbeableonthemorrowtoworkwiththesamenormalamountofforce,healthandfreshnessasto—day。Youpreachtomeconstantlythegospelof"saving"and"abstinence。"
Good!Iwill,likeasensiblesavingowner,husbandmysolewealth,labour—power,andabstainfromallfoolishwasteofit。Iwilleachdayspend,setinmotion,putintoactiononlyasmuchofitasiscompatiblewithitsnormalduration,andhealthydevelopment。Byanunlimitedextensionoftheworking—day,youmayinonedayuseupaquantityoflabour—powergreaterthanIcanrestoreinthree。WhatyougaininlabourIloseinsubstance。
Theuseofmylabour—powerandthespoliationofitarequitedifferentthings。Iftheaveragetimethat(doingareasonableamountofwork)anaveragelabourercanlive,is30years,thevalueofmylabour—power,whichyoupaymefromdaytodayis1/365x30or1/10950ofitstotalvalue。Butifyouconsumeitin10years,youpaymedaily1/10950insteadof1
/3650ofitstotalvalue,i。e。,only1/3ofitsdailyvalue,andyourobme,therefore,everydayof2/3ofthevalueofmycommodity。Youpaymeforoneday’slabour—power,whilstyouusethatof3days。Thatisagainstourcontractandthelawofexchanges。Idemand,therefore,aworking—dayofnormallength,andIdemanditwithoutanyappealtoyourheart,forinmoneymatterssentimentisoutofplace。Youmaybeamodelcitizen,perhapsamemberoftheSocietyforthePreventionofCrueltytoAnimals,andintheodourofsanctitytoboot;butthethingthatyourepresentfacetofacewithmehasnoheartinitsbreast。Thatwhichseemstothrobthereismyownheart—beating。Idemandthenormalworking—daybecauseI,likeeveryotherseller,demandthevalueofmycommodity。[6]
Weseethen,that,apartfromextremelyelasticbounds,thenatureoftheexchangeofcommoditiesitselfimposesnolimittotheworking—day,nolimittosurplus—labour。Thecapitalistmaintainshisrightsasapurchaserwhenhetriestomaketheworking—dayaslongaspossible,andtomake,wheneverpossible,twoworking—daysoutofone。Ontheotherhand,thepeculiarnatureofthecommoditysoldimpliesalimittoitsconsumptionbythepurchaser,andthelabourermaintainshisrightassellerwhenhewishestoreducetheworking—daytooneofdefinitenormalduration。Thereishere,therefore,anantinomy,rightagainstright,bothequallybearingthesealofthelawofexchanges。Betweenequalrightsforcedecides。Henceisitthatinthehistoryofcapitalistproduction,thedeterminationofwhatisaworking—day,presentsitselfastheresultofastruggle,astrugglebetweencollectivecapital,i。e。,theclassofcapitalists,andcollectivelabour,i。e。,theworking—class。
SECTION2THEGREEDFORSURPLUS—LABOUR。MANUFACTURERANDBOYARD
Capitalhasnotinventedsurplus—labour。Whereverapartofsocietypossessesthemonopolyofthemeansofproduction,thelabourer,freeornotfree,mustaddtotheworking—timenecessaryforhisownmaintenanceanextraworking—timeinordertoproducethemeansofsubsistencefortheownersofthemeansofproduction,[7]whetherthisproprietorbetheAthenianxxxxxxxxxxxx,Etruscantheocrat,civisRomanus,Normanbaron,Americanslave—owner,WallachianBoyard,modernlandlordorcapitalist。[8]Itis,however,clearthatinanygiveneconomicformationofsociety,wherenottheexchange—valuebuttheuse—valueoftheproductpredominates,surplus—labourwillbelimitedbyagivensetofwantswhichmaybegreaterorless,andthatherenoboundlessthirstforsurplus—labourarisesfromthenatureoftheproductionitself。Henceinantiquityover—workbecomeshorribleonlywhentheobjectistoobtainexchange—valueinitsspecificindependentmoney—form;intheproductionofgoldandsilver。Compulsoryworkingtodeathisheretherecognisedformofover—work。OnlyreadDiodorusSiculus。[9]Stilltheseareexceptionsinantiquity。Butassoonaspeople,whoseproductionstillmoveswithinthelowerformsofslave—labour,corvée—labour,&c。,aredrawnintothewhirlpoolofaninternationalmarketdominatedbythecapitalisticmodeofproduction,thesaleoftheirproductsforexportbecomingtheirprincipalinterest,thecivilisedhorrorsofover—workaregraftedonthebarbarichorrorsofslavery,serfdom,&c。HencethenegrolabourintheSouthernStatesoftheAmericanUnionpreservedsomethingofapatriarchalcharacter,solongasproductionwaschieflydirectedtoimmediatelocalconsumption。Butinproportion,astheexportofcottonbecameofvitalinteresttothesestates,theover—workingofthenegroandsometimestheusingupofhislifein7yearsoflabourbecameafactorinacalculatedandcalculatingsystem。Itwasnolongeraquestionofobtainingfromhimacertainquantityofusefulproducts。Itwasnowaquestionofproductionofsurplus—labouritself:
Sowasitalsowiththecorvée,e。g。,intheDanubianPrincipalities(nowRoumania)。
Thecomparisonofthegreedforsurplus—labourintheDanubianPrincipalitieswiththesamegreedinEnglishfactorieshasaspecialinterest,becausesurplus—labourinthecorvéehasanindependentandpalpableform。
第19章