首页 >出版文学> The Principles of Political Economy with some of t>第31章
  "Theconverseofallthiswouldhavehappened,if,insteadof800times17yards,wehadsupposedthatEngland,attherateof10for17,wouldhavetaken1200times17yardsoflinen。Inthiscase,itisEnglandwhosedemandisnotfullysupplied;itisEnglandwho,bybiddingformorelinen,willaltertherateofinterchangetoherowndisadvantage;and10yardsofclothwillfall,inbothcountries,belowthevalueof17yardsoflinen。Bythisfallofcloth,orwhatisthesamething,thisriseoflinen,thedemandofGermanyforclothwillincrease,andthedemandofEnglandforlinenwilldiminish,tilltherateofinterchangehassoadjusteditselfthattheclothandthelinenwillexactlypayforoneanother;andwhenoncethispointisattained,valueswillremainwithoutfurtheralteration。"Itmayheconsidered,therefore,asestablished,thatwhentwocountriestradetogetherintwocommodities,theexchangevalueofthesecommoditiesrelativelytoeachotherwilladjustitselftotheinclinationsandcircumstancesoftheconsumersonbothsides,insuchmannerthatthequantitiesrequiredbyeachcountry,ofthearticleswhichitimportsfromitsneighbour,shallbeexactlysufficienttopayforoneanother。Astheinclinationsandcircumstancesofconsumerscannotbereducedtoanyrule,soneithercantheproportionsinwhichthetwocommoditieswillbeinterchanged。Weknowthatthelimitswithinwhichthevariationisconfined,aretheratiobetweentheircostsofproductionintheonecountry,andtheratiobetweentheircostsofproductionintheother。Tenyardsofclothcannotexchangeformorethan20yardsoflinen,norforlessthan15。
  Buttheymayexchangeforanyintermediatenumber。Theratios,therefore,inwhichtheadvantageofthetrademaybedividedbetweenthetwonations,arevarious。Thecircumstancesonwhichtheproportionateshareofeachcountrymoreremotelydepends,admitonlyofaverygeneralindication。
  "Itisevenpossibletoconceiveanextremecase,inwhichthewholeoftheadvantageresultingfromtheinterchangewouldbereapedbyoneparty,theothercountrygainingnothingatall。
  Thereisnoabsurdityinthehypothesisthat,ofsomegivencommodity,acertainquantityisallthatiswantedatanyprice;
  andthat,whenthatquantityisobtained,nofallintheexchangevaluewouldinduceotherconsumerstocomeforward,orthosewhoarealreadysupplied,totakemore。LetussupposethatthisisthecaseinGermanywithcloth。BeforehertradewithEnglandcommenced,when10yardsofclothcostherasmuchlabouras20
  yardsoflinen,sheneverthelessconsumedasmuchclothasshewantedunderanycircumstances,and,ifshecouldobtainitattherateof10yardsofclothfor15oflinen,shewouldnotconsumemore。Letthisfixedquantitybe1000times10yards。Attherate,however,of10for20,Englandwouldwantmorelinenthanwouldbeequivalenttothisquantityofcloth。Shewouldconsequently,offerahighervalueforlinen;or,whatisthesamething,shewouldofferherclothatacheaperrate。But,asbynoloweringofthevaluecouldsheprevailonGermanytotakeagreaterquantityofcloth,therewouldbenolimittotheriseoflinenorfallofcloth,untilthedemandofEnglandforlinenwasreducedbytheriseofitsvalue,tothequantitywhich1000
  times10yardsofclothwouldpurchase。Itmightbe,thattoproducethisdiminutionofthedemandalessfallwouldnotsufficethanthatwhichwouldmake10yardsofclothexchangefor15oflinen。Germanywouldthengainthewholeoftheadvantage,andEnglandwouldbeexactlyasshewasbeforethetradecommenced。Itwouldbefortheinterest,however,ofGermanyherselftokeepherlinenalittlebelowthevalueatwhichitcouldbeproducedinEngland,inordertokeepherselffrombeingsupplantedbythehomeproducer。England,therefore,wouldalwaysbenefitinsomedegreebytheexistenceofthetrade,thoughitmightbeaveryfigone。"
  Inthisstatement,Iconceive,iscontainedthefirstelementaryprincipleofInternationalValues。Ihave,asisindispensableinsuchabstractandhypotheticalcases,supposedthecircumstancestobemuchlesscomplexthantheyreallyare:
  inthefirstplace,bysuppressingthecostofcarriage;next,bysupposingthatthereareonlytwocountriestradingtogether;andlastly,thattheytradeonlyintwocommodities。Torendertheexpositionoftheprinciplecomplete,itisnecessarytorestorethevariouscircumstancesthustemporarilyleftouttosimplifytheargument。Thosewhoareaccustomedtoanykindofscientificinvestigationwillprobablysee,withoutformalproof,thattheintroductionofthesecircumstancescannotalterthetheoryofthesubject。Tradeamonganynumberofcountries,andinanynumberofcommodities,musttakeplaceonthesameessentialprinciplesastradebetweentwocountriesandintwocommodities。
  Introducingagreaternumberofagentspreciselysimilar,cannotchangethelawoftheiraction,nomorethanputtingadditionalweightsintothetwoscalesofabalancealtersthelawofgravitation。Italtersnothingbutthenumericalresults。Formorecompletesatisfaction,however,wewillenterintothecomplexcaseswiththesameparticularitywithwhichwehavestatedthesimplerone。
  3。First,letusintroducetheelementofcostofcarriage。
  Thechiefdifferencewillthenbe,thattheclothandthelinenwillnolongerexchangeforeachotheratpreciselythesamerateinbothcountries。Linen,havingtobecarriedtoEngland,willbedearertherebyitscostofcarriage;andclothwillbedearerinGermanybythecostofcarryingitfromEngland。Linen,estimatedincloth,willbedearerinEnglandthaninGermany,bythecostofcarriageofbotharticles:andsowillclothinGermany,estimatedinlinen。Supposethatthecostofcarriageofeachisequivalenttooneyardoflinen;andsupposethat,iftheycouldhavebeencarriedwithoutcost,thetermsofinterchangewouldhavebeen10yardsofclothfor17oflinen。Itmayseematfirstthateachcountrywillpayitsowncostofcarriage;thatis,thecarriageofthearticleitSports;thatinGermany10yardsofclothwillexchangefor18oflinen,namely,theoriginal17,and1tocoverthecostofcarriageofthecloth;whileinEngland,10yardsofclothwillonlypurchase16
  oflinen,1yardbeingdeductedforthecostofcarriageofthelinen。This,however,cannotbeaffirmedwithcertainty;itwillonlybetrue,ifthelinenwhichtheEnglishconsumerswouldtakeatthepriceof10for16,exactlypaysfortheclothwhichtheGermanconsumerswouldtakeat10for18。Thevalues,whatevertheyare,mustestablishthisequilibrium。Noabsoluterule,therefore,canbelaiddownforthedivisionofthecost,nomorethanforthedivisionoftheadvantage:anditdoesnotfollowthatinwhateverratiotheoneisdivided,theotherwillbedividedinthesame。Itisimpossibletosay,ifthecostofcarriagecouldbeannihilated,whethertheproducingortheimportingcountrywouldbemostbenefited。Thiswoulddependontheplayofinternationaldemand。Costofcarriagehasoneeffectmore。Butforit,everycommoditywould(iftradebesupposedfree)beeitherregularlyimportedorregularlyexported。A
  countrywouldmakenothingforitselfwhichitdidnotalsomakeforothercountries。Butinconsequenceofcostofcarriagetherearemanythings,especiallybulkyarticles,whichevery,oralmosteverycountryproduceswithinitself。Afterexportingthethingsinwhichitcanemployitselfmostadvantageously,andimportingthoseinwhichitisunderthegreatestdisadvantage,therearemanylyingbetween,ofwhichtherelativecostofproductioninthatandinothercountriesdifferssolittle,thatthecostofcarriagewouldabsorbmorethanthewholesavingincostofproductionwhichwouldbeobtainedbyimportingoneandexportinganother。Thisisthecasewithnumerouscommoditiesofcommonconsumption;includingthecoarserqualitiesofmanyarticlesoffoodandmanufacture,ofwhichthefinerkindsarethesubjectofextensiveinternationaltraffic。
  4。Letusnowintroduceagreaternumberofcommoditiesthanthetwowehavehithertosupposed。Letclothandlinen,however,bestillthearticlesofwhichthecomparativecostofproductioninEnglandandinGermanydiffersthemost;sothatiftheywereconfinedtotwocommodities,thesewouldbethetwowhichitwouldbemosttheirinteresttoexchange。Wewillnowagainomitcostofcarriage,which,havingbeenshownnottoaffecttheessentialsofthequestion,doesbutembarrassunnecessarilythestatementofit。Letussuppose,then,thatthedemandofEnglandforlineniseithersomuchgreaterthanthatofGermanyforcloth,orsomuchmoreextensiblebycheapness,thatifEnglandhadnocommoditybutclothwhichGermanywouldtake,thedemandofEnglandwouldforceupthetermsofinterchangeto10yardsofclothforonly16oflinen,sothatEnglandwouldgainonlythedifferencebetween15and16,Germanythedifferencebetween16
  and20。ButletusnowsupposethatEnglandhasalsoanothercommodity,sayiron,whichisindemandinGermany,andthatthequantityofironwhichisofequalvalueinEnglandwith10yardsofcloth,(letuscallthisquantityahundredweight)will,ifproducedinGermany,costasmuchlabouras18yardsoflinen,sothatifofferedbyEnglandfor17,itwillunderselltheGermanproducer。Inthesecircumstances,linenwillnotbeforceduptotherateof16yardsfor10ofcloth,butwillstop,supposeat17;foralthough,atthatrateofinterchange,GermanywillnottakeenoughclothtopayforallthelinenrequiredbyEngland,shewilltakeironforthereminder,anditisthesamethingtoEnglandwhethershegivesahundredweightofironor10yardsofcloth,bothbeingmadeatthesamecost。IfwenowsuperaddcoalsorcottonsonthesideofEngland,andwine,orcorn,ortimber,onthesideofGermany,itwillmakenodifferenceintheprinciple。Theexportsofeachcountrymustexactlypayfortheimports;meaningnowtheaggregateexportsandimports,notthoseofparticularcommoditiestakensingly。Theproduceoffiftydays’Englishlabour,whetherincloth,coals,iron,oranyotherexports,willexchangefortheproduceofforty,orfifty,orsixtydays’Germanlabour,inlinen,wine,corn,ortimber,accordingtotheinternationaldemand。Thereissomeproportionatwhichthedemandofthetwocountriesforeachother’sproductswillexactlycorrespond:sothatthethingssuppliedbyEnglandtoGermanywillbecompletelypaidfor,andnomore,bythosesuppliedbyGermanytoEngland。ThisaccordinglywillbetheratioinwhichtheproduceofEnglishandtheproduceofGermanlabourwillexchangeforoneanother。
  If,therefore,itbeaskedwhatcountrydrawstoitselfthegreatestshareoftheadvantageofanytradeitcarrieson,theansweris,thecountryforwhoseproductionsthereisinothercountriesthegreatestdemand,andademandthemostsusceptibleofincreasefromadditionalcheapness。Insofarastheproductionsofanycountrypossessthisproperty,thecountryobtainsallforeigncommoditiesatlesscost。Itgetsitsimportscheaper,thegreatertheintensityofthedemandinforeigncountriesforitsexports。Italsogetsitsimportscheaper,thelesstheextentandintensityofitsowndemandforthem。Themarketischeapesttothosewhosedemandissmall。Acountrywhichdesiresfewforeignproductions,andonlyalimitedquantityofthem,whileitsowncommoditiesareingreatrequestinforeigncountries,willobtainitslimitedimportsatextremelysmallcost,thatis,inexchangefortheproduceofaverysmallquantityofitslabourandcapital。
  Lastly,havingintroducedmorethantheoriginaltwocommoditiesintothehypothesis,letusalsointroducemorethantheoriginaltwocountries。AfterthedemandofEnglandforthelinenofGermanyhasraisedtherateofinterchangeto10yardsofclothfor16oflinen,supposeatradeopenedbetweenEnglandandsomeothercountrywhichalsoexportslinen。AndletussupposethatifEnglandhadnotradebutwiththisthirdcountry,theplayofinternationaldemandwouldenablehertoobtainfromit,for10yardsofclothoritsequivalent,17yardsoflinen。
  SheevidentlywouldnotgoonbuyinglinenfromGermanyattheformerrate:Germanywouldbeundersold,andmustconsenttogive17yards,liketheothercountry。Inthiscase,thecircumstancesofproductionandofdemandinthethirdcountryaresupposedtobeinthemselvesmoreadvantageoustoEnglandthanthecircumstancesofGermany;butthissuppositionisnotnecessary:
  wemightsupposethatifthetradewithGermanydidnotexist,EnglandwouldbeobligedtogivetotheothercountrythesameadvantageoustermswhichshegivestoGermany;10yardsofclothfor16,orevenlessthan16,oflinen。Evenso,theopeningofthethirdcountrymakesagreatdifferenceinfavourofEngland。
  ThereisnowadoublemarketforEnglishexports,whilethedemandofEnglandforlinenisonlywhatitwasbefore。ThisnecessarilyobtainsforEnglandmoreadvantageoustermsofinterchange。Thetwocountries,requiringmuchmoreofherproducethanwasrequiredbyeitheralone,must,inordertoobtainit,forceanincreaseddemandfortheirexports,byofferingthematalowervalue。
  Itdeservesnotice,thatthiseffectinfavourofEnglandfromtheopeningofanothermarketforherexports,willequallybeproducedeventhoughthecountryfromwhichthedemandcomesshouldhavenothingtosellwhichEnglandiswillingtotake。
  Supposethatthethirdcountry,thoughrequiringclothorironfromEngland,producesnolinen,noranyotherarticlewhichisindemandthere。Shehoweverproducesexportablearticles,orshewouldhavenomeansofpayingforimports:herexports,thoughnotsuitabletotheEnglishconsumer,canfindamarketsomewhere。Asweareonlysupposingthreecountries,wemustassumehertofindthismarketinGermany,andtopayforwhatsheimportsfromEnglandbyordersonherGermancustomers。
  Germany,therefore,besideshavingtopayforherownimports,nowowesadebttoEnglandonaccountofthethirdcountry,andthemeansforbothpurposesmustbederivedfromherexportableproduce。ShemustthereforetenderthatproducetoEnglandontermssufficientlyfavourabletoforceademandequivalenttothisdoubledebt。EverythingwilltakeplacepreciselyasifthethirdcountryhadboughtGermanproducewithherowngoods,andofferedthatproducetoEnglandinexchangeforhers。ThereisanincreaseddemandforEnglishgoods,forwhichGermangoodshavetofurnishthepayment;andthiscanonlybedonebyforcinganincreaseddemandfortheminEngland,thatis,byloweringtheirvalue。Thusanincreaseofdemandforacountry’sexportsinanyforeigncountry,enableshertoobtainmorecheaplyeventhoseimportswhichsheprocuresfromotherquarters。Andconversely,anincreaseofherowndemandforanyforeigncommoditycompelsher,caeterisparibus,topaydearerforallforeigncommodities。
  Thelawwhichwehavenowillustrated,maybeappropriatelynamed,theEquationofInternationalDemand。Itmaybeconciselystatedasfollows。Theproduceofacountryexchangesfortheproduceofothercountries,atsuchvaluesasarerequiredinorderthatthewholeofherexportsmayexactlypayforthewholeofherimports。ThislawofInternationalValuesisbutanextensionofthemoregenerallawofValue,whichwecalledtheEquationofSupplyandDemand。(1*)Wehaveseenthatthevalueofacommodityalwayssoadjustsitselfastobringthedemandtotheexactlevelofthesupply。Butalltrade,eitherbetweennationsorindividuals,isaninterchangeofcommodities,inwhichthethingsthattheyrespectivelyhavetosell,constitutealsotheirmeansofpurchase:thesupplybroughtbytheoneconstituteshisdemandforwhatisbroughtbytheother。Sothatsupplyanddemandarebutanotherexpressionforreciprocaldemand:andtosaythatvaluewilladjustitselfsoastoequalizedemandwithsupply,isinfacttosaythatitwilladjustitselfsoastoequalizethedemandononesidewiththedemandontheother。
  5。TotracetheconsequencesofthislawofInternationalValuesthroughtheirwideramifications,wouldoccupymorespacethancanbeheredevotedtosuchapurpose。ButthereisoneofitsapplicationswhichIwillnotice,asbeinginitselfnotunimportant,asbearingonthequestionwhichwilloccupyusinthenextchapter,andespeciallyasconducingtothemorefullandclearunderstandingofthelawitself。
  Wehaveseenthatthevalueatwhichacountrypurchasesaforeigncommodity,doesnotconformtothecostofproductioninthecountryfromwhichthecommoditycomes。Supposenowachangeinthatcostofproduction;animprovement,forexample,intheprocessofmanufacture。Willthebenefitoftheimprovementbefullyparticipatedinbyothercountries?Willthecommoditybesoldasmuchcheapertoforeigners,asitisproducedcheaperathome?Thisquestion,andtheconsiderationswhichmustbeenteredintoinordertoresolveit,arewelladaptedtotrytheworthofthetheory。
  Letusfirstsuppose,thattheimprovementisofanaturetocreateanewbranchofexport:tomakeforeignersresorttothecountryforacommoditywhichtheyhadpreviouslyproducedathome。Onthissupposition,theforeigndemandfortheproductionsofthecountryisincreased;whichnecessarilyalterstheinternationalvaluestoitsadvantage,andtothedisadvantageofforeigncountries,who,therefore,thoughtheyparticipateinthebenefitofthenewproduct,mustpurchasethatbenefitbypayingforalltheotherproductionsofthecountryatadearerratethanbefore。Howmuchdearer,willdependonthedegreenecessaryforre—establishing,underthesenewconditions,theEquationofInternationalDemand。Theseconsequencesfollowinaveryobviousmannerfromthelawofinternationalvalues,andIshallnotoccupyspaceinillustratingthem,butshallpasstothemorefrequentcase,ofanimprovementwhichdoesnotcreateanewarticleofexport,butlowersthecostofproductionofsomethingwhichthecountryalreadyexported。
  Itbeingadvantageous,indiscussionsofthiscomplicatednature,toemploydefinitenumericalamounts,weshallreturntoouroriginalexample。Tenyardsofcloth,ifproducedinGermany,wouldrequirethesameamountoflabourandcapitalastwentyyardsoflinen;butbytheplayofinternationaldemand,theycanbeobtainedfromEnglandforseventeen。Supposenow,thatbyamechanicalimprovementmadeinGermany,andnotcapableofbeingtransferredtoEngland,thesamequantityoflabourandcapitalwhichproducedtwentyyardsoflinen,isenabledtoproducethirty。Linenfallsone—thirdinvalueintheGermanmarket,ascomparedwithothercommoditiesproducedinGermany。Willitalsofallone—thirdascomparedwithEnglishcloth,thusgivingtoEngland,incommonwithGermany,thefullbenefitoftheimprovement?Or(oughtwenotrathertosay),sincethecosttoEnglandofobtaininglinenwasnotregulatedbythecosttoGermanyofproducingit,andsinceEngland,accordingly,didnotgettheentirebenefitevenofthetwentyyardswhichGermanycouldhavegivenfortenyardsofcloth,butonlyobtainedseventeen——whyshouldshenowobtainmore,merelybecausethistheoreticallimitisremovedtendegreesfurtheroff?
  Itisevidentthatintheoutset,theimprovementwilllowerthevalueoflineninGermany,inrelationtoallothercommoditiesintheGermanmarket,including,amongtherest,eventheimportedcommodity,cloth。If10yardsofclothpreviouslyexchangedfor17yardsoflinen,theywillnowexchangeforhalfasmuchmore,or251/2yards。Butwhethertheywillcontinuetodoso,willdependontheeffectwhichthisincreasedcheapnessoflinenproducesontheinternationaldemand。ThedemandforlineninEnglandcouldscarcelyfailtobeincreased。Butitmightbeincreasedeitherinproportiontothecheapness,orinagreaterproportionthanthecheapness,orinalessproportion。
  Ifthedemandwasincreasedinthesameproportionwiththecheapness,Englandwouldtakeasmanytimes251/2yardsoflinen,asthenumberoftimes17yardswhichshetookpreviously。
  Shewouldexpendinlinenexactlyasmuchofcloth,oroftheequivalentsofcloth,asmuchinshortofthecollectiveincomeofherpeople,asshedidbefore。Germanyonherpart,wouldprobablyrequire,atthatrateofinterchange,thesamequantityofclothasbefore,becauseitwouldinrealitycostherexactlyasmuch;251/2yardsoflinenbeingnowofthesamevalueinhermarket,as17yardswerebefore。Inthiscase,therefore,10
  yardsofclothfor251/2oflinenistherateofinterchangewhichunderthesenewconditionswouldrestoretheequationofinternationaldemand;andEnglandwouldobtainlinenone—thirdcheaperthanbefore,beingthesameadvantageaswasobtainedbyGermany。
  Itmighthappen,however,thatthisgreatcheapeningoflinenwouldincreasethedemandforitinEnglandinagreaterratiothantheincreaseofcheapness;andthatifshebeforewanted1000times17yards,shewouldnowrequiremorethan1000times251/2yardstosatisfyherdemand。Ifso,theequationofinternationaldemandcannotestablishitselfatthatrateofinterchange;topayforthelinenEnglandmustofferclothonmoreadvantageousterms;say,forexample,10yardsfor21oflinen;sothatEnglandwillnothavethefullbenefitoftheimprovementintheproductionoflinen,whileGermany,inadditiontothatbenefit,willalsopaylessforcloth。Butagain,itispossiblethatEnglandmightnotdesiretoincreaseherconsumptionoflineninevensogreataproportionasthatoftheincreasedcheapness;shemightnotdesiresogreataquantityas1000times251/2yards:andinthatcaseGermanymustforceademand,byofferingmorethan251/2yardsoflinenfor10ofcloth:linenwillbecheapenedinEnglandinastillgreaterdegreethaninGermany;whileGermanywillobtainclothonmoreunfavourableterms;andatahigherexchangevaluethanbefore。
  Afterwhathasalreadybeensaid,itisnotnecessarytoparticularizethemannerinwhichtheseresultsmightbemodifiedbyintroducingintothehypothesisothercountriesandothercommodities。Thereisafurthercircumstancebywhichtheymayalsobemodified。InthecasesupposedtheconsumersofGermanyhavehadapartoftheirincomessetatlibertybytheincreasedcheapnessoflinen,whichtheymayindeedexpendinincreasingtheirconsumptionofthatarticle,butwhichtheymaylikewiseexpendinotherarticles,andamongothers,inclothorotherimportedcommodities。Thiswouldbeanadditionalelementintheinternationaldemand,andwouldmodifymoreorlessthetermsofinterchange。
  Ofthethreepossiblevarietiesintheinfluenceofcheapnessondemand,whichisthemoreprobable——thatthedemandwouldbeincreasedmorethanthecheapness,asmuchasthecheapness,orlessthanthecheapness?Thisdependsonthenatureoftheparticularcommodity,andonthetastesofpurchasers。Whenthecommodityisoneingeneralrequest,andthefallofitpricebringsitwithinreachofamuchlargerclassofincomesthanbefore,thedemandisoftenincreasedinagreaterratiothanthefallofprice,andalargersumofmoneyisonthewholeexpendedinthearticle。Suchwasthecasewithcoffee,whenitspricewasloweredbysuccessivereductionsoftaxation;andsuchwouldprobablybethecasewithsugar,wine,andalargeclassofcommoditieswhich,thoughnotnecessaries,arelargelyconsumed,andinwhichmanyconsumersindulgewhenthearticlesarecheapandeconomizewhentheyaredear。Butitmorefrequentlyhappensthatwhenacommodityfallsinprice,lessmoneyisspentinitthanbefore:agreaterquantityisconsumed,butnotsogreatavalue。Theconsumerwhosavesmoneybythecheapnessofthearticle,willbelikelytoexpendpartofthesavinginincreasinghisconsumptionofotherthings:andunlessthelowpriceattractalargeclassofnewpurchaserswhowereeithernotconsumersofthearticleatall,oronlyinsmallquantityandoccasionally,alessaggregatesumwillbeexpendedonit。
  Speakinggenerally,therefore,thethirdofourthreecasesisthemostprobable:andanimprovementinanexportablearticleislikelytobeasbeneficial(ifnotmorebeneficial)toforeigncountries,astothecountrywherethearticleisproduced。
  6。Thusfarhadthetheoryofinternationalvaluesbeencarriedinthefirstandsecondeditionsofthiswork。Butintelligentcriticisms(chieflythoseofmyfriendMrWilliamThornton),andsubsequentfurtherinvestigation,haveshownthatthedoctrinestatedintheprecedingpages,thoughcorrectasfarasitgoes,isnotyetthecompletetheoryofthesubjectmatter。
  Ithasbeenshownthattheexportsandimportsbetweenthetwocountries(or,ifwesupposemorethantwo,betweeneachcountryandtheworld)mustintheaggregatepayforeachother,andmustthereforebeexchangedforoneanotheratsuchvaluesaswillbecompatiblewiththeequationofinternationaldemand。
  Thatthis,however,doesnotfurnishthecompletelawofthephenomenon,appearsfromthefollowingconsideration:thatseveraldifferentratesofinternationalvaluemayallequallyfulfiltheconditionsofthislaw。
  Thesuppositionwas,thatEnglandcouldproduce10yardsofclothwiththesamelabouras15oflinen,andGermanywiththesamelabouras20oflinen;thatatradewasopenedbetweenthetwocountries;thatEnglandthenceforthconfinedherproductiontocloth,andGermanytolinen;and,thatif10yardsofclothshouldthenceforthexchangefor17oflinen,EnglandandGermanywouldexactlysupplyeachother’sdemand:that,forinstance,ifEnglandwantedatthatprice17,000yardsoflinen,Germanywouldwantexactlythe10,000yardsofcloth,which,atthatprice,Englandwouldberequiredtogiveforthelinen。Underthesesuppositionsitappeared,that10clothfor17linen,wouldbe,inpointoffact,theinternationalvalues。
  Butitisquitepossiblethatsomeotherrate,suchas10
  clothfor18linen,mightalsofulfiltheconditionsoftheequationofinternationaldemand。Supposethatatthislastrate,Englandwouldwantmorelinenthanattherateof10for17,butnotintheratioofthecheapness;thatshewouldnotwantthe18,000whichshecouldnowbuywith10,000yardsofcloth,butwouldbecontentwith17,500,forwhichshewouldpay(atthenewrateof10for18)9722yardsofcloth。Germany,again,havingtopaydearerforcloththanwhenitcouldbeboughtat10for17,wouldprobablyreduceherconsumptiontoanamountbelow10,000
  yards,perhapstotheverysamenumber,9722。UndertheseconditionstheEquationofInternationalDemandwouldstillexist。Thus,therateof10for17,andthatof10for18,wouldequallysatisfytheEquationofDemand:andmanyotherratesofinterchangemightsatisfyitinlikemanner。Itisconceivablethattheconditionsmightbeequallysatisfiedbyeverynumericalratewhichcouldbesupposed。Thereisstillthereforeaportionofindeterminatenessintherateatwhichtheinternationalvalueswouldadjustthemselves;showingthatthewholeoftheinfluencingcircumstancescannotyethavebeentakenintoaccount。
  7。Itwillbefoundthattosupplythisdeficiency,wemusttakeintoconsiderationnotonly,aswehavealreadydone,thequantitiesdemandedineachcountry,oftheimportedcommodities;
  butalsotheextentofthemeansofsupplyingthatdemand,whicharesetatlibertyineachcountrybythechangeinthedirectionofitsindustry。
  Toillustratethispointitwillbenecessarytochoosemoreconvenientnumbersthanthosewhichwehavehithertoemployed。
  LetitbesupposedthatinEngland100yardsofcloth,previouslytothetrade,exchangedfor100oflinen,butthatinGermany100
  ofclothexchangedfor200oflinen。Whenthetradewasopened,EnglandwouldsupplyclothtoGermany,GermanylinentoEngland,atanexchangevaluewhichwoulddependpartlyontheelementalreadydiscussed,viz。thecomparativedegreeinwhich,inthetwocountries,increasedcheapnessoperatesinincreasingthedemand;andpartlyonsomeotherelementnotyettakenintoaccount。Inordertoisolatethisunknownelement,itwillbenecessarytomakesomedefiniteandinvariablesuppositioninregardtotheknownelement。Letusthereforeassume,thattheinfluenceofcheapnessondemandconformstosomesimplelaw,commontobothcountriesandtobothcommodities。Asthesimplestandmostconvenient,letussupposethatinbothcountriesanygivenincreaseofcheapnessproducesanexactlyproportionalincreaseofconsumption:or,inotherwords,thatthevalueexpendedinthecommodity,thecostincurredforthesakeofobtainingit,isalwaysthesame,whetherthatcostaffordsagreaterorasmallerquantityofthecommodity。
  LetusnowsupposethatEngland,previouslytothetrade,requiredamillionofyardsoflinen,whichwereworthattheEnglishcostofproduction,amillionyardsofcloth。Byturningallthelabourandcapitalwithwhichthatlinenwasproduced,totheproductionofcloth,shewouldproduceforexportationamillionyardsofcloth。SupposethatthisistheexactquantitywhichGermanyisaccustomedtoconsume。EnglandcandisposeofallthisclothinGermanyattheGermanprice;shemustconsentindeedtotakealittlelessuntilshehasdriventheGermanproducerfromthemarket,butassoonasthisiseffected,shecansellhermillionofclothfortwomillionsoflinen;beingthequantitythattheGermanclothiersareenabledtomake,bytransferringtheirwholelabourandcapitalfromclothtolinen。
  ThusEnglandwouldgainthewholebenefitofthetrade,andGermanynothing。Thiswouldbeperfectlyconsistentwiththeequationofinternationaldemand:sinceEngland(accordingtothehypothesisintheprecedingparagraph)nowrequirestwomillionsoflinen(beingabletogetthematthesamecostatwhichshepreviouslyobtainedonlyone),whilethepricesinGermanynotbeingaltered,Germanyrequiresasbeforeexactlyamillionofcloth,andcanobtainitbyemployingthelabourandcapitalsetatlibertyfromtheproductionofcloth,inproducingthetwomillionsoflinenrequiredbyEngland。
  ThusfarwehavesupposedthattheadditionalclothwhichEnglandcouldmake,bytransferringtocloththewholeofthecapitalpreviouslyemployedinmakinglinen,wasexactlysufficienttosupplythewholeofGermany’sexistingdemand。Butsupposenextthatitismorethansufficient。SupposethatwhileEnglandcouldmakewithherliberatedcapitalamillionyardsofclothforexportation,theclothwhichGermanyhadheretoforerequiredwas800,000yardsonly,equivalentattheGermancostofproductionto1,600,000yardsoflinen。EnglandthereforecouldnotdisposeofawholemillionofclothinGermanyattheGermanprices。Yetshewants,whethercheapordear(byoursupposition),asmuchlinenascanbeboughtforamillionofcloth:andsincethiscanonlybeobtainedfromGermany,orbythemoreexpensiveprocessofproductionathome,theholdersofthemillionofclothwillbeforcedbyeachother’scompetitiontoofferittoGermanyonanyterms(shortoftheEnglishcostofproduction)whichwillinduceGermanytotakethewhole。Whattermsthesewouldbe,thesuppositionwehavemadeenablesusexactlytodefine。The800,000yardsofclothwhichGermanyconsumed,costhertheequivalentof1,600,000linen,andthatinvariablecostiswhatsheiswillingtoexpendincloth,whetherthequantityitobtainsforherbemoreorless。Englandtherefore,toinduceGermanytotakeamillionofcloth,mustofferitfor1,600,000oflinen。Theinternationalvalueswillthusbe100clothfor160linen,intermediatebetweentheratioofthecostsofproductioninEnglandandthatofthecostsofproductioninGermany:andthetwocountrieswilldividethebenefitofthetrade,Englandgainingintheaggregate600,000
  yardsoflinen,andGermanybeingricherby200,000additionalyardsofcloth。
  Letusnowstretchthelastsuppositionstillfarther,andsupposethattheclothpreviouslyconsumedbyGermanywasnotonlylessthanthemillionyardswhichEnglandisenabledtofurnishbydiscontinuingherproductionoflinen,butlessinthefullproportionofEngland’sadvantageintheproduction,thatis,thatGermanyonlyrequiredhalfamillion。Inthiscase,byceasingaltogethertoproducecloth,Germanycanaddamillion,butamilliononly,toherproductionoflinen,andthismillion,beingtheequivalentofwhatthehalfmillionpreviouslycosther,isallthatshecanbeinducedbyanydegreeofcheapnesstoexpendincloth。Englandwillbeforcedbyherowncompetitiontogiveawholemillionofclothforthismillionoflinen,justasshewasforcedintheprecedingcasetogiveitfor1,600,000。
  ButEnglandcouldhaveproducedatthesamecostamillionyardsoflinenforherself。Englandthereforederives,inthiscase,noadvantagefromtheinternationaltrade。Germanygainsthewhole;
  obtainingamillionofclothinsteadofhalfamillion,atwhatthehalfmillionpreviouslycosther。Germany,inshort,isinthisthirdcase,exactlyinthesamesituationasEnglandwasinthefirstcase;whichmayeasilybeverifiedbyreversingthefigures。
  Asthegeneralresultofthethreecases,itmaybelaiddownasatheorem,thatunderthesuppositionwehavemadeofademandexactlyinproportiontothecheapness,thelawofinternationalvaluewillbeasfollows:——
  ThewholeoftheclothwhichEnglandcanmakewiththecapitalpreviouslydevotedtolinen,willexchangeforthewholeofthelinenwhichGermanycanmakewiththecapitalpreviouslydevotedtocloth。
  Or,stillmoregenerally,Thewholeofthecommoditieswhichthetwocountriescanrespectivelymakeforexportation,withthelabourandcapitalthrownoutofemploymentbyimportation,willexchangeagainstoneanother。
  Thislaw,andthethreedifferentpossibilitiesarisingfromitinrespecttothedivisionoftheadvantage,maybeconvenientlygeneralizedbymeansofalgebraicalsymbols,asfollows:LetthequantityofclothwhichEnglandcanmakewiththelabourandcapitalwithdrawnfromtheproductionoflinen,be=
  n。
  LettheclothpreviouslyrequiredbyGermany(attheGermancostofproduction)be=m。
  Thennofclothwillalwaysexchangeforexactly2moflinen。
  Consequentlyifn=m,thewholeadvantagewillbeonthesideofEngland。
  Ifn=2m,thewholeadvantagewillbeonthesideofGermany。
  Ifnbegreaterthanm,butlessthan2m,thetwocountrieswillsharetheadvantage;Englandgetting2moflinenwhereshebeforegotonlyn;Germanygettingnofclothwhereshebeforegotonlym。Itisalmostsuperfluoustoobservethatthefigure2
  standswhereitdoes,onlybecauseitisthefigurewhichexpressestheadvantageofGermanyoverEnglandinlinenasestimatedincloth,and(whatisthesamething)ofEnglandoverGermanyinclothasestimatedinlinen。IfwehadsupposedthatinGermany,beforethetrade,100ofclothexchangedfor1000
  insteadof200oflinen,thenn(afterthetradecommenced)wouldhaveexchangedfor10minsteadof2m。Ifinsteadof1000or200
  wehadsupposedonly150,nwouldhaveexchangedforonly3/2m。
  If(infine)thecostvalueofcloth(asestimatedinlinen)inGermany,exceedsthecostvaluesimilarlyestimatedinEngland,intheratioofptoq,thenwilln,aftertheopeningofthetrade,exchangeforp/qm。(2*)
  8。WehavenowarrivedatwhatseemsalawofInternationalValues,ofgreatsimplicityandgenerality。Butwehavedonesobysettingoutfromapurelyarbitraryhypothesisrespectingtherelationbetweendemandandcheapness。Wehaveassumedtheirrelationtobefixed,thoughitisessentiallyvariable。Wehavesupposedthateveryincreaseofcheapnessproducesanexactlyproportionalextensionofdemand;inotherwords,thatthesameinvariablevalueislaidoutinacommoditywhetheritbecheapordear;andthelawwhichwehaveinvestigatedholdsgoodonlyonthishypothesis,orsomeotherpracticallyequivalenttoit。
  Letusnow,therefore,combinethetwovariableelementsofthequestion,thevariationsofeachofwhichwehaveconsideredseparately。Letussupposetherelationbetweendemandandcheapnesstovary,andtobecomesuchaswouldpreventtheruleofinterchangelaiddowninthelasttheoremfromsatisfyingtheconditionsoftheEquationofInternationalDemand。Letitbesupposed,forinstance,thatthedemandofEnglandforlinenisexactlyproportionaltothecheapness,butthatofGermanyforcloth,notproportional。Toreverttothesecondofourthreecases,thecaseinwhichEnglandbydiscontinuingtheproductionoflinencouldproduceforexportationamillionyardsofcloth,andGermanybyceasingtoproduceclothcouldproduceanadditional1,600,000yardsoflinen。Iftheoneofthesequantitiesexactlyexchangedfortheother,thedemandofEnglandwouldonourpresentsuppositionbeexactlysatisfied,forsherequiresallthelinenwhichcanbegotforamillionyardsofcloth:butGermanyperhaps,thoughsherequired800,000clothatacostequivalentto1,600,000linen,yetwhenshecangetamillionofclothatthesamecost,maynotrequirethewholemillion;ormayrequiremorethanamillion。First,lethernotrequiresomuch;butonlyasmuchasshecannowbuyfor1,500,000linen。Englandwillstillofferamillionforthese1,500,000;buteventhismaynotinduceGermanytotakesomuchasamillion;andifEnglandcontinuestoexpendexactlythesameaggregatecostonlinenwhateverbetheprice,shewillhavetosubmittotakeforhermillionofclothanyquantityoflinen(notlessthanamillion)whichmayberequisitetoinduceGermanytotakeamillionofcloth。Supposethistobe1,400,000
  yards。Englandhasnowreapedfromthetradeagainnotof600,000butonlyof400,000yards;whileGermany,besideshavingobtainedanextra200,000yardsofcloth,hasobtaineditwithonlyseven—eighthsofthelabourandcapitalwhichshepreviouslyexpendedinsupplyingherselfwithcloth,andmayexpendtheremainderinincreasingherownconsumptionoflinen,orofanyothercommodity。
  SupposeonthecontrarythatGermany,attherateofamillionclothfor1,600,000linen,requiresmorethanamillionyardsofcloth。Englandhavingonlyamillionwhichshecangivewithouttrenchinguponthequantityshepreviouslyreservedforherself,Germanymustbidfortheextraclothatahigherratethan160for100,untilshereachesarate(say170for100)
  whichwilleitherbringdownherowndemandforclothtothelimitofamillion,orelsetemptEnglandtopartwithsomeoftheclothshepreviouslyconsumedathome。
  Letusnextsupposethattheproportionalityofdemandtocheapness,insteadofholdinggoodinonecountrybutnotintheother,doesnotholdgoodineithercountry,andthatthedeviationisofthesamekindinboth;that,forinstance,neitherofthetwoincreasesitsdemandinadegreeequivalenttotheincreaseofcheapness。Onthissupposition,attherateofonemillionclothfor1,600,000linen,Englandwillnotwantsomuchas1,600,000linen,norGermanysomuchasamillioncloth:
  andiftheyfallshortofthatamountinexactlythesamedegree:
  ifEnglandonlywantslinentotheamountofnine—tenthsof1,600,000(1,440,000),andGermanyonlyninehundredthousandofcloth,theinterchangewillcontinuetotakeplaceatthesamerate。AndsoifEnglandwantsatenthmorethan1,600,000,andGermanyatenthmorethanamillion。Thiscoincidence(which,itistobeobserved,supposesdemandtoextendcheapnessinacorresponding,butnotinanequaldegree(3*))evidentlycouldnotexistunlessbymereaccident:andinanyothercase,theequationofinternationaldemandwouldrequireadifferentadjustmentofinternationalvalues。
  Theonlygenerallaw,then,whichcanbelaiddown,isthis。
  Thevaluesatwhichacountryexchangesitsproducewithforeigncountriesdependontwothings:first,ontheamountandextensibilityoftheirdemandforitscommodities,compiledwithitsdemandfortheirs;andsecondly,onthecapitalwhichithastospare,fromtheproductionofdomesticcommoditiesforitsownconsumption。Themoretheforeigndemandforitscommoditiesexceedsitsdemandforforeigncommodities,andthelesscapitalitcanspiletoproduceforforeignmarkets,compiledwithwhatforeignersspiletoproduceforitsmarkets,themorefavourabletoitwillbethetermsofinterchange:thatis,themoreitwillobtainofforeigncommoditiesinreturnforagivenquantityofitsown。
  Butthesetwoinfluencingcircumstancesareinrealityreducibletoone:forthecapitalwhichacountryhastospilefromtheproductionofdomesticcommoditiesforitsownuse,isinproportiontoitsowndemandforforeigncommodities:whateverproportionofitscollectiveincomeitexpendsinpurchasesfromabroad,thatsameproportionofitscapitalisleftwithoutahomemarketforitsproductions。Thenewelement,therefore,whichforthesakeofscientificcorrectnesswehaveintroducedintothetheoryofinternationalvalues,doesnotseemtomakeanyverymaterialdifferenceinthepracticalresult。Itstillappearsthatthecountrieswhichcarryontheirforeigntradeonthemostadvantageousterms,arethosewhosecommoditiesaremostindemandbyforeigncountries,andwhichhavethemselvestheleastdemandforforeigncommodities。Fromwhich,amongotherconsequences,itfollows,thattherichestcountries,caeterisparibus,gaintheleastbyagivenamountofforeigncommerce:
  since,havingagreaterdemandforcommoditiesgenerally,theyarelikelytohaveagreaterdemandforforeigncommodities,andthusmodifythetermsofinterchangetotheirowndisadvantage。
  Theiraggregategainsbyforeigntrade,doubtless,aregenerallygreaterthanthoseofpoorercountries,sincetheycarryonagreateramountofsuchtrade,andgainthebenefitofcheapnessonalargerconsumption:buttheirgainislessoneachindividualarticleconsumed。
  9。Wenowpasstoanotheressentialpartofthetheoryofthesubject。Therearetwosensesinwhichacountryobtainscommoditiescheaperbyforeigntrade;inthesenseofValue,andinthesenseofCost。Itgetsthemcheaperinthefirstsense,bytheirfallinginvaluerelativelytootherthings:thesamequantityofthemexchanging,inthecountry,forasmallerquantitythanbeforeoftheotherproduceofthecountry。Toreverttoouroriginalfigures;inEngland,allconsumersoflinenobtained,afterthetradewasopened,17orsomegreaternumberofyardsforthesamequantityofallotherthingsforwhichtheybeforeobtainedonly15。Thedegreeofcheapness,inthissenseoftheterm,dependsontheclawsofInternationalDemand,socopiouslyillustratedintheprecedingsections。Butintheothersense,thatofCost,acountrygetsacommoditycheaperwhenitobtainsagreaterquantityofthecommoditywiththesameexpenditureoflabourandcapital。Inthissenseoftheterm,cheapnessinagreatmeasuredependsuponacauseofadifferentnature:acountrygetsitsimportscheaper,inproportiontothegeneralproductivenessofitsdomesticindustry;tothegeneralefficiencyofitslabour。Thelabourofonecountrymaybe,asawhole,muchmoreefficientthanthatofanother:allormostofthecommoditiescapableofbeingproducedinboth,maybeproducedinoneatlessabsolutecostthanintheother;which,aswehaveseen,willnotnecessitypreventthetwocountriesfromexchangingcommodities。Thethingswhichthemorefavouredcountrywillimportfromothers,areofcoursethoseinwhichitisleastsuperior;butbyimportingthemitacquires,eveninthosecommodities,thesameadvantagewhichitpossessesinthearticlesitgivesinexchangeforthem。Thusthecountrieswhichobtaintheirownproductionsatleastcost,alsogettheirimportsatleastcost。
  Thiswillbemadestillmoreobviousifwesupposetwocompetingcountries。EnglandsendsclothtoGermany,andgives10
  yardsofitfor17yardsoflinen,orforsomethingelsewhichinGermanyistheequivalentofthose17yards。Anothercountry,asforexampleFrance,doesthesame。Theonegiving10yardsofclothforacertainquantityofGermancommodities,somusttheother:if,therefore,inEngland,these10yardsareproducedbyonlyhalfasmuchlabourasthatbywhichtheyareproducedinFrance,thelinenorothercommoditiesofGermanywillcosttoEnglandonlyhalftheamountoflabourwhichtheywillcosttoFrance。EnglandwouldthusobtainherimportsatlesscostthanFrance,intheratioofthegreaterefficiencyofherlabourintheproductionofcloth:whichmightbetaken,inthecasesupposed,asanapproximateestimateoftheefficiencyofherlabourgenerally;sinceFrance,aswellasEngland,byselectingclothasherarticleofexport,wouldhaveshownthatwithheralsoitwasthecommodityinwhichlabourwasrelativelythemostefficient。Itfollows,therefore,thateverycountrygetsitsimportsatlesscost,inproportiontothegeneralefficiencyofitslabour。
  ThispropositionwasfirstclearlyseenandexpoundedbyMr。
  Senior,(4*)butonlyasapplicabletotheimportationofthepreciousmetals。Ithinkitimportanttopointoutthatthepropositionholdsequallytrueofallotherimportedcommodities;
  andfurther,thatitisonlyaportionofthetruth。For,inthecasesupposed,thecosttoEnglandofthelinenwhichshepaysforwithtenyardsofcloth,doesnotdependsolelyuponthecosttoherselfoftenyardsofcloth,butpartlyalsouponhowmanyyardsoflinensheobtainsinexchangeforthem。Whatherimportscosttoherisafunctionoftwovariables;thequantityofherowncommoditieswhichshegivesforthem,andthecostofthosecommodities。Ofthese,thelastalonedependsontheefficiencyofherlabour:thefirstdependsonthelawofinternationalvalues;thatis,ontheintensityandextensibilityoftheforeigndemandforhercommodities,comparedwithherdemandforforeigncommodities。