Butthewholepriceofanycommoditymuststillfinallyresolveitselfintosomeoneorother,orallofthosethreeparts;aswhateverpartofitremainsafterpayingtherentoftheland,andthepriceofthewholelabouremployedinraising,manufacturing,andbringingittomarket,mustnecessarilybeprofittosomebody。
Asthepriceorexchangeablevalueofeveryparticularcommodity,takenseparately,resolvesitselfintosomeoneorotherorallofthosethreeparts;sothatofallthecommoditieswhichcomposethewholeannualproduceofthelabourofeverycountry,takencomplexly,mustresolveitselfintothesamethreeparts,andbeparcelledoutamongdifferentinhabitantsofthecountry,eitherasthewagesoftheirlabour,theprofitsoftheirstock,ortherentoftheirland。Thewholeofwhatisannuallyeithercollectedorproducedbythelabourofeverysociety,orwhatcomestothesamething,thewholepriceofit,isinthismanneroriginallydistributedamongsomeofitsdifferentmembers。Wages,profit,andrent,arethethreeoriginalsourcesofallrevenueaswellasofallexchangeablevalue。Allotherrevenueisultimatelyderivedfromsomeoneorotherofthese。
Whoeverderiveshisrevenuefromafundwhichishisown,mustdrawiteitherfromhislabour,fromhisstock,orfromhisland。Therevenuederivedfromlabouriscalledwages。Thatderivedfromstock,bythepersonwhomanagesoremployesit,iscalledprofit。Thatderivedfromitbythepersonwhodoesnotemployithimself,butlendsittoanother,iscalledtheinterestortheuseofmoney。Itisthecompensationwhichtheborrowerpaystothelender,fortheprofitwhichhehasanopportunityofmakingbytheuseofthemoney。Partofthatprofitnaturallybelongstotheborrower,whorunstheriskandtakesthetroubleofemployingit;andparttothelender,whoaffordshimtheopportunityofmakingthisprofit。Theinterestofmoneyisalwaysaderivativerevenue,which,ifitisnotpaidfromtheprofitwhichismadebytheuseofthemoney,mustbepaidfromsomeothersourceofrevenue,unlessperhapstheborrowerisaspendthrift,whocontractsaseconddebtinordertopaytheinterestofthefirst。Therevenuewhichproceedsaltogetherfromland,iscalledrent,andbelongstothelandlord。Therevenueofthefarmerisderivedpartlyfromhislabour,andpartlyfromhisstock。Tohim,landisonlytheinstrumentwhichenableshimtoearnthewagesofthislabour,andtomaketheprofitsofthisstock。Alltaxes,andantherevenuewhichisfoundeduponthem,allsalaries,pensions,andannuitiesofeverykind,areultimatelyderivedfromsomeoneorotherofthosethreeoriginalsourcesofrevenue,andarepaideitherimmediatelyormediatelyfromthewagesoflabour,theprofitsofstock,ortherentofland。
Whenthosethreedifferentsortsofrevenuebelongtodifferentpersons,theyarereadilydistinguished;butwhentheybelongtothesametheyaresometimesconfoundedwithoneanother,atleastincommonlanguage。
Agentlemanwhofarmsapartofhisownestate,afterpayingtheexpenseofcultivation,shouldgainboththerentofthelandlordandtheprofitofthefarmer。Heisapttodenominate,however,hiswholegain,profit,andthusconfoundsrentwithprofit,atleastincommonlanguage。ThegreaterpartofourNorthAmericanandWestIndianplantersareinthissituation。
Theyfarm,thegreaterpartofthem,theirownestates,andaccordinglyweseldomhearoftherentofaplantation,butfrequentlyofitsprofit。
Commonfarmersseldomemployanyoverseertodirectthegeneraloperationsofthefarm。Theygenerally,too,workagooddealwiththeirownhands,asploughmen,harrowers,etc。Whatremainsofthecropafterpayingtherent,therefore,shouldnotonlyreplacetothemtheirstockemployedincultivation,togetherwithitsordinaryprofits,butpaythemthewageswhichareduetothem,bothaslabourersandoverseers。Whateverremains,however,afterpayingtherentandkeepingupthestock,iscalledprofit。Butwagesevidentlymakeapartofit。Thefarmer,bysavingthesewages,mustnecessarilygainthem。Wages,therefore,areinthiscaseconfoundedwithprofit。
Anindependentmanufacturer,whohasstockenoughbothtopurchasematerials,andtomaintainhimselftillhecancarryhisworktomarket,shouldgainboththewagesofajourneymanwhoworksunderamaster,andtheprofitwhichthatmastermakesbythesaleofthejourneyman’swork。Hiswholegains,however,arecommonlycalledprofit,andwagesare,inthiscasetoo,confoundedwithprofit。
Agardenerwhocultivateshisowngardenwithhisownhands,unitesinhisownpersonthethreedifferentcharactersoflandlord,farmer,andlabourer。Hisproduce,therefore,shouldpayhimtherentofthefirst,theprofitofthesecond,andthewagesofthethird。Thewhole,however,iscommonlyconsideredastheearningsofhislabour。Bothrentandprofitare,inthiscase,confoundedwithwages。
Asinacivilisedcountrytherearebutfewcommoditiesofwhichtheexchangeablevaluearisesfromlabouronly,rentandprofitcontributinglargelytothatofthefargreaterpartofthem,sotheannualproduceofitslabourwillalwaysbesufficienttopurchaseorcommandamuchgreaterquantityoflabourthanwhatemployedinraising,preparing,andbringingthatproducetomarket。Ifthesocietywereannuallytoemployallthelabourwhichitcanannuallypurchase,asthequantityoflabourwouldincreasegreatlyeveryyear,sotheproduceofeverysucceedingyearwouldbeofvastlygreatervaluethanthatoftheforegoing。Butthereisnocountryinwhichthewholeannualproduceisemployedinmaintainingtheindustrious。Theidleeverywhereconsumeagreatpartofit;andaccordingtothedifferentproportionsinwhichitisannuallydividedbetweenthosetwodifferentordersofpeople,itsordinaryoraveragevaluemusteitherannuallyincrease,ordiminish,orcontinuethesamefromoneyeartoanother。
CHAPTERVII
OftheNaturalandMarketPriceofCommoditiesTHEREisineverysocietyorneighbourhoodanordinaryoraverageratebothofwagesandprofitineverydifferentemploymentoflabourandstock。Thisrateisnaturallyregulated,asIshallshowhereafter,partlybythegeneralcircumstancesofthesociety,theirrichesorpoverty,theiradvancing,stationary,ordecliningcondition;andpartlybytheparticularnatureofeachemployment。
Thereislikewiseineverysocietyorneighbourhoodanordinaryoraveragerateofrent,whichisregulatedtoo,asI
shallshowhereafter,partlybythegeneralcircumstancesofthesocietyorneighbourhoodinwhichthelandissituated,andpartlybythenaturalorimprovedfertilityoftheland。
Theseordinaryoraverageratesmaybecalledthenaturalratesofwages,profit,andrent,atthetimeandplaceinwhichtheycommonlyprevail。
Whenthepriceofanycommodityisneithermorenorlessthanwhatissufficienttopaytherentoftheland,thewagesofthelabour,andtheprofitsofthestockemployedinraising,preparing,andbringingittomarket,accordingtotheirnaturalrates,thecommodityisthensoldforwhatmaybecalleditsnaturalprice。
Thecommodityisthensoldpreciselyforwhatitisworth,orforwhatitreallycoststhepersonwhobringsittomarket;
forthoughincommonlanguagewhatiscalledtheprimecostofanycommoditydoesnotcomprehendtheprofitofthepersonwhoistosellitagain,yetifhesellitatapricewhichdoesnotallowhimtheordinaryrateofprofitinhisneighbourhood,heisevidentlyaloserbythetrade;sincebyemployinghisstockinsomeotherwayhemighthavemadethatprofit。Hisprofit,besides,ishisrevenue,theproperfundofhissubsistence。As,whileheispreparingandbringingthegoodstomarket,headvancestohisworkmentheirwages,ortheirsubsistence;soheadvancestohimself,inthesamemanner,hisownsubsistence,whichisgenerallysuitabletotheprofitwhichhemayreasonablyexpectfromthesaleofhisgoods。Unlesstheyyieldhimthisprofit,therefore,theydonotrepayhimwhattheymayveryproperlybesaidtohavereallycosthim。
Thoughtheprice,therefore,whichleaveshimthisprofitisnotalwaysthelowestatwhichadealermaysometimessellhisgoods,itisthelowestatwhichheislikelytosellthemforanyconsiderabletime;atleastwherethereisperfectliberty,orwherehemaychangehistradeasoftenashepleases。
Theactualpriceatwhichanycommodityiscommonlysoldiscalleditsmarketprice。Itmayeitherbeabove,orbelow,orexactlythesamewithitsnaturalprice。
Themarketpriceofeveryparticularcommodityisregulatedbytheproportionbetweenthequantitywhichisactuallybroughttomarket,andthedemandofthosewhoarewillingtopaythenaturalpriceofthecommodity,orthewholevalueoftherent,labour,andprofit,whichmustbepaidinordertobringitthither。Suchpeoplemaybecalledtheeffectualdemanders,andtheirdemandtheeffectualdemand;sinceitmaybesufficienttoeffectuatethebringingofthecommoditytomarket。Itisdifferentfromtheabsolutedemand。Averypoormanmaybesaidinsomesensetohaveademandforacoachandsix;hemightliketohaveit;buthisdemandisnotaneffectualdemand,asthecommoditycanneverbebroughttomarketinordertosatisfyit。
Whenthequantityofanycommoditywhichisbroughttomarketfallsshortoftheeffectualdemand,allthosewhoarewillingtopaythewholevalueoftherent,wages,andprofit,whichmustbepaidinordertobringitthither,cannotbesuppliedwiththequantitywhichtheywant。Ratherthanwantitaltogether,someofthemwillbewillingtogivemore。A
competitionwillimmediatelybeginamongthem,andthemarketpricewillrisemoreorlessabovethenaturalprice,accordingaseitherthegreatnessofthedeficiency,orthewealthandwantonluxuryofthecompetitors,happentoanimatemoreorlesstheeagernessofthecompetition。Amongcompetitorsofequalwealthandluxurythesamedeficiencywillgenerallyoccasionamoreorlesseagercompetition,accordingastheacquisitionofthecommodityhappenstobeofmoreorlessimportancetothem。
Hencetheexorbitantpriceofthenecessariesoflifeduringtheblockadeofatownorinafamine。
Whenthequantitybroughttomarketexceedstheeffectualdemand,itcannotbeallsoldtothosewhoarewillingtopaythewholevalueoftherent,wages,andprofit,whichmustbepaidinordertobringitthither。Somepartmustbesoldtothosewhoarewillingtopayless,andthelowpricewhichtheygiveforitmustreducethepriceofthewhole。Themarketpricewillsinkmoreorlessbelowthenaturalprice,accordingasthegreatnessoftheexcessincreasesmoreorlessthecompetitionofthesellers,oraccordingasithappenstobemoreorlessimportanttothemtogetimmediatelyridofthecommodity。Thesameexcessintheimportationofperishable,willoccasionamuchgreatercompetitionthaninthatofdurablecommodities;intheimportationoforanges,forexample,thaninthatofoldiron。
Whenthequantitybroughttomarketisjustsufficienttosupplytheeffectualdemand,andnomore,themarketpricenaturallycomestobeeitherexactly,orasnearlyascanbejudgedof,thesamewiththenaturalprice。Thewholequantityuponhandcanbedisposedofforthisprice,andcannotbedisposedofformore。Thecompetitionofthedifferentdealersobligesthemalltoacceptofthisprice,butdoesnotobligethemtoacceptofless。
Thequantityofeverycommoditybroughttomarketnaturallysuitsitselftotheeffectualdemand。Itistheinterestofallthosewhoemploytheirland,labour,orstock,inbringinganycommoditytomarket,thatthequantitynevershouldexceedtheeffectualdemand;anditistheinterestofallotherpeoplethatitnevershouldfallshortofthatdemand。
Ifatanytimeitexceedstheeffectualdemand,someofthecomponentpartsofitspricemustbepaidbelowtheirnaturalrate。Ifitisrent,theinterestofthelandlordswillimmediatelypromptthemtowithdrawapartoftheirland;andifitiswagesorprofit,theinterestofthelabourersintheonecase,andoftheiremployersintheother,willpromptthemtowithdrawapartoftheirlabourorstockfromthisemployment。
Thequantitybroughttomarketwillsoonbenomorethansufficienttosupplytheeffectualdemand。Allthedifferentpartsofitspricewillrisetotheirnaturalrate,andthewholepricetoitsnaturalprice。
If,onthecontrary,thequantitybroughttomarketshouldatanytimefallshortoftheeffectualdemand,someofthecomponentpartsofitspricemustriseabovetheirnaturalrate。
Ifitisrent,theinterestofallotherlandlordswillnaturallypromptthemtopreparemorelandfortheraisingofthiscommodity;ifitiswagesorprofit,theinterestofallotherlabourersanddealerswillsoonpromptthemtoemploymorelabourandstockinpreparingandbringingittomarket。Thequantitybroughtthitherwillsoonbesufficienttosupplytheeffectualdemand。Allthedifferentpartsofitspricewillsoonsinktotheirnaturalrate,andthewholepricetoitsnaturalprice。
Thenaturalprice,therefore,is,asitwere,thecentralprice,towhichthepricesofallcommoditiesarecontinuallygravitating。Differentaccidentsmaysometimeskeepthemsuspendedagooddealaboveit,andsometimesforcethemdownevensomewhatbelowit。Butwhatevermaybetheobstacleswhichhinderthemfromsettlinginthiscentreofreposeandcontinuance,theyareconstantlytendingtowardsit。
Thewholequantityofindustryannuallyemployedinordertobringanycommoditytomarketnaturallysuitsitselfinthismannertotheeffectualdemand。Itnaturallyaimsatbringingalwaysthatprecisequantitythitherwhichmaybesufficienttosupply,andnomorethansupply,thatdemand。
Butinsomeemploymentsthesamequantityofindustrywillindifferentyearsproduceverydifferentquantitiesofcommodities;whileinothersitwillproducealwaysthesame,orverynearlythesame。Thesamenumberoflabourersinhusbandrywill,indifferentyears,produceverydifferentquantitiesofcorn,wine,oil,hops,etc。Butthesamenumberofspinnersandweaverswilleveryyearproducethesameorverynearlythesamequantityoflinenandwoollencloth。Itisonlytheaverageproduceoftheonespeciesofindustrywhichcanbesuitedinanyrespecttotheeffectualdemand;andasitsactualproduceisfrequentlymuchgreaterandfrequentlymuchlessthanitsaverageproduce,thequantityofthecommoditiesbroughttomarketwillsometimesexceedagooddeal,andsometimesfallshortagooddeal,oftheeffectualdemand。Eventhoughthatdemandthereforeshouldcontinuealwaysthesame,theirmarketpricewillbeliabletogreatfluctuations,willsometimesfallagooddealbelow,andsometimesriseagooddealabovetheirnaturalprice。
Intheotherspeciesofindustry,theproduceofequalquantitiesoflabourbeingalwaysthesame,orverynearlythesame,itcanbemoreexactlysuitedtotheeffectualdemand。Whilethatdemandcontinuesthesame,therefore,themarketpriceofthecommoditiesislikelytodosotoo,andtobeeitheraltogether,orasnearlyascanbejudgedof,thesamewiththenaturalprice。Thatthepriceoflinenandwoolenclothisliableneithertosuchfrequentnortosuchgreatvariationsasthepriceofcorn,everyman’sexperiencewillinformhim。Thepriceoftheonespeciesofcommoditiesvariesonlywiththevariationsinthedemand:thatoftheothervaries,notonlywiththevariationsinthedemand,butwiththemuchgreaterandmorefrequentvariationsinthequantityofwhatisbroughttomarketinordertosupplythatdemand。
Theoccasionalandtemporaryfluctuationsinthemarketpriceofanycommodityfallchieflyuponthosepartsofitspricewhichresolvethemselvesintowagesandprofit。Thatpartwhichresolvesitselfintorentislessaffectedbythem。Arentcertaininmoneyisnotintheleastaffectedbythemeitherinitsrateorinitsvalue。Arentwhichconsistseitherinacertainproportionorinacertainquantityoftherudeproduce,isnodoubtaffectedinitsyearlyvaluebyalltheoccasionalandtemporaryfluctuationsinthemarketpriceofthatrudeproduce;butitisseldomaffectedbytheminitsyearlyrate。Insettlingthetermsofthelease,thelandlordandfarmerendeavour,accordingtotheirbestjudgment,toadjustthatrate,nottothetemporaryandoccasional,buttotheaverageandordinarypriceoftheproduce。
Suchfluctuationsaffectboththevalueandtherateeitherofwagesorofprofit,accordingasthemarkethappenstobeeitheroverstockedorunderstockedwithcommoditiesorwithlabour;withworkdone,orwithworktobedone。Apublicmourningraisesthepriceofblackcloth(withwhichthemarketisalmostalwaysunderstockeduponsuchoccasions),andaugmentstheprofitsofthemerchantswhopossessanyconsiderablequantityofit。Ithasnoeffectuponthewagesoftheweavers。
Themarketisunderstockedwithcommodities,notwithlabour;
withworkdone,notwithworktobedone。Itraisesthewagesofjourneymentailors。Themarketishereunderstockedwithlabour。
Thereisaneffectualdemandformorelabour,formoreworktobedonethancanbehad。Itsinksthepriceofcolouredsilksandcloths,andtherebyreducestheprofitsofthemerchantswhohaveanyconsiderablequantityofthemuponhand。Itsinks,too,thewagesoftheworkmenemployedinpreparingsuchcommodities,forwhichalldemandisstoppedforsixmonths,perhapsforatwelvemonth。Themarketishereover—stockedbothwithcommoditiesandwithlabour。
Butthoughthemarketpriceofeveryparticularcommodityisinthismannercontinuallygravitating,ifonemaysayso,towardsthenaturalprice,yetsometimesparticularaccidents,sometimesnaturalcauses,andsometimesparticularregulationsofpolice,may,inmanycommodities,keepupthemarketprice,foralongtimetogether,agooddealabovethenaturalprice。
Whenbyanincreaseintheeffectualdemand,themarketpriceofsomeparticularcommodityhappenstoriseagooddealabovethenaturalprice,thosewhoemploytheirstocksinsupplyingthatmarketaregenerallycarefultoconcealthischange。Ifitwascommonlyknown,theirgreatprofitwouldtemptsomanynewrivalstoemploytheirstocksinthesamewaythat,theeffectualdemandbeingfullysupplied,themarketpricewouldsoonbereducedtothenaturalprice,andperhapsforsometimeevenbelowit。Ifthemarketisatagreatdistancefromtheresidenceofthosewhosupplyit,theymaysometimesbeabletokeepthesecretforseveralyearstogether,andmaysolongenjoytheirextraordinaryprofitswithoutanynewrivals。Secretsofthiskind,however,itmustbeacknowledged,canseldombelongkept;andtheextraordinaryprofitcanlastverylittlelongerthantheyarekept。
Secretsinmanufacturesarecapableofbeinglongerkeptthansecretsintrade。Adyerwhohasfoundthemeansofproducingaparticularcolourwithmaterialswhichcostonlyhalfthepriceofthosecommonlymadeuseof,may,withgoodmanagement,enjoytheadvantageofhisdiscoveryaslongashelives,andevenleaveitasalegacytohisposterity。Hisextraordinarygainsarisefromthehighpricewhichispaidforhisprivatelabour。Theyproperlyconsistinthehighwagesofthatlabour。Butastheyarerepeateduponeverypartofhisstock,andastheirwholeamountbears,uponthataccount,aregularproportiontoit,theyarecommonlyconsideredasextraordinaryprofitsofstock。
Suchenhancementsofthemarketpriceareevidentlytheeffectsofparticularaccidents,ofwhich,however,theoperationmaysometimeslastformanyyearstogether。
Somenaturalproductionsrequiresuchasingularityofsoilandsituationthatallthelandinagreatcountry,whichisfitforproducingthem,maynotbesufficienttosupplytheeffectualdemand。Thewholequantitybroughttomarket,therefore,maybedisposedoftothosewhoarewillingtogivemorethanwhatissufficienttopaytherentofthelandwhichproducedthem,togetherwiththewagesofthelabour,andtheprofitsofthestockwhichwereemployedinpreparingandbringingthemtomarket,accordingtotheirnaturalrates。Suchcommoditiesmaycontinueforwholecenturiestogethertobesoldatthishighprice;andthatpartofitwhichresolvesitselfintotherentoflandisinthiscasethepartwhichisgenerallypaidaboveitsnaturalrate。Therentofthelandwhichaffordssuchsingularandesteemedproductions,liketherentofsomevineyardsinFranceofapeculiarlyhappysoilandsituation,bearsnoregularproportiontotherentofotherequallyfertileandequallywell—cultivatedlandinitsneighbourhood。Thewagesofthelabourandtheprofitsofthestockemployedinbringingsuchcommoditiestomarket,onthecontrary,areseldomoutoftheirnaturalproportiontothoseoftheotheremploymentsoflabourandstockintheirneighbourhood。
Suchenhancementsofthemarketpriceareevidentlytheeffectofnaturalcauseswhichmayhindertheeffectualdemandfromeverbeingfullysupplied,andwhichmaycontinue,therefore,tooperateforever。
Amonopolygrantedeithertoanindividualortoatradingcompanyhasthesameeffectasasecretintradeormanufactures。
Themonopolists,bykeepingthemarketconstantlyunderstocked,byneverfullysupplyingtheeffectualdemand,selltheircommoditiesmuchabovethenaturalprice,andraisetheiremoluments,whethertheyconsistinwagesorprofit,greatlyabovetheirnaturalrate。
Thepriceofmonopolyisuponeveryoccasionthehighestwhichcanbegot。Thenaturalprice,orthepriceoffreecompetition,onthecontrary,isthelowestwhichcanbetaken,notuponeveryoccasion,indeed,butforanyconsiderabletimetogether。Theoneisuponeveryoccasionthehighestwhichcanbesqueezedoutofthebuyers,orwhich,itissupposed,theywillconsenttogive:theotheristhelowestwhichthesellerscancommonlyaffordtotake,andatthesametimecontinuetheirbusiness。
Theexclusiveprivilegesofcorporations,statutesofapprenticeship,andallthoselawswhichrestrain,inparticularemployments,thecompetitiontoasmallernumberthanmightotherwisegointothem,havethesametendency,thoughinalessdegree。Theyareasortofenlargedmonopolies,andmayfrequently,foragestogether,andinwholeclassesofemployments,keepupthemarketpriceofparticularcommoditiesabovethenaturalprice,andmaintainboththewagesofthelabourandtheprofitsofthestockemployedaboutthemsomewhatabovetheirnaturalrate。
Suchenhancementsofthemarketpricemaylastaslongastheregulationsofpolicewhichgiveoccasiontothem。
Themarketpriceofanyparticularcommodity,thoughitmaycontinuelongabove,canseldomcontinuelongbelowitsnaturalprice。Whateverpartofitwaspaidbelowthenaturalrate,thepersonswhoseinterestitaffectedwouldimmediatelyfeeltheloss,andwouldimmediatelywithdraweithersomuchland,orsomuchlabour,orsomuchstock,frombeingemployedaboutit,thatthequantitybroughttomarketwouldsoonbenomorethansufficienttosupplytheeffectualdemand。Itsmarketprice,therefore,wouldsoonrisetothenaturalprice。Thisatleastwouldbethecasewheretherewasperfectliberty。
Thesamestatutesofapprenticeshipandothercorporationlawsindeed,which,whenamanufactureisinprosperity,enabletheworkmantoraisehiswagesagooddealabovetheirnaturalrate,sometimesobligehim,whenitdecays,toletthemdownagooddealbelowit。Asintheonecasetheyexcludemanypeoplefromhisemployment,sointheothertheyexcludehimfrommanyemployments。Theeffectofsuchregulations,however,isnotnearsodurableinsinkingtheworkman’swagesbelow,asinraisingthemabovetheirnaturalrate。Theiroperationintheonewaymayendureformanycenturies,butintheotheritcanlastnolongerthanthelivesofsomeoftheworkmenwhowerebredtothebusinessinthetimeofitsprosperity。Whentheyaregone,thenumberofthosewhoareafterwardseducatedtothetradewillnaturallysuititselftotheeffectualdemand。ThepolicemustbeasviolentasthatofIndostanorancientEgypt(whereeverymanwasboundbyaprincipleofreligiontofollowtheoccupationofhisfather,andwassupposedtocommitthemosthorridsacrilegeifhechangeditforanother),whichcaninanyparticularemployment,andforseveralgenerationstogether,sinkeitherthewagesoflabourortheprofitsofstockbelowtheirnaturalrate。
ThisisallthatIthinknecessarytobeobservedatpresentconcerningthedeviations,whetheroccasionalorpermanent,ofthemarketpriceofcommoditiesfromthenaturalprice。
Thenaturalpriceitselfvarieswiththenaturalrateofeachofitscomponentparts,ofwages,profit,andrent;andineverysocietythisratevariesaccordingtotheircircumstances,accordingtotheirrichesorpoverty,theiradvancing,stationary,ordecliningcondition。Ishall,inthefourfollowingchapters,endeavourtoexplain,asfullyanddistinctlyasIcan,thecausesofthosedifferentvariations。
First,Ishallendeavourtoexplainwhatarethecircumstanceswhichnaturallydeterminetherateofwages,andinwhatmannerthosecircumstancesareaffectedbytherichesorpoverty,bytheadvancing,stationary,ordecliningstateofthesociety。
Secondly,Ishallendeavourtoshowwhatarethecircumstanceswhichnaturallydeterminetherateofprofit,andinwhatmanner,too,thosecircumstancesareaffectedbythelikevariationsinthestateofthesociety。
Thoughpecuniarywagesandprofitareverydifferentinthedifferentemploymentsoflabourandstock;yetacertainproportionseemscommonlytotakeplacebetweenboththepecuniarywagesinallthedifferentemploymentsoflabour,andthepecuniaryprofitsinallthedifferentemploymentsofstock。
Thisproportion,itwillappearhereafter,dependspartlyuponthenatureofthedifferentemployments,andpartlyuponthedifferentlawsandpolicyofthesocietyinwhichtheyarecarriedon。Butthoughinmanyrespectsdependentuponthelawsandpolicy,thisproportionseemstobelittleaffectedbytherichesorpovertyofthatsociety;byitsadvancing,stationary,ordecliningcondition;buttoremainthesameorverynearlythesameinallthosedifferentstates。Ishall,inthethirdplace,endeavourtoexplainallthedifferentcircumstanceswhichregulatethisproportion。
Inthefourthandlastplace,Ishallendeavourtoshowwhatarethecircumstanceswhichregulatetherentofland,andwhicheitherraiseorlowertherealpriceofallthedifferentsubstanceswhichitproduces。
CHAPTERVIII
OftheWagesofLabourTHEproduceoflabourconstitutesthenaturalrecompenseorwagesoflabour。
Inthatoriginalstateofthings,whichprecedesboththeappropriationoflandandtheaccumulationofstock,thewholeproduceoflabourbelongstothelabourer。Hehasneitherlandlordnormastertosharewithhim。
Hadthisstatecontinued,thewagesoflabourwouldhaveaugmentedwithallthoseimprovementsinitsproductivepowerstowhichthedivisionoflabourgivesoccasion。Allthingswouldgraduallyhavebecomecheaper。Theywouldhavebeenproducedbyasmallerquantityoflabour;andasthecommoditiesproducedbyequalquantitiesoflabourwouldnaturallyinthisstateofthingsbeexchangedforoneanother,theywouldhavebeenpurchasedlikewisewiththeproduceofasmallerquantity。
Butthoughallthingswouldhavebecomecheaperinreality,inappearancemanythingsmighthavebecomedearerthanbefore,orhavebeenexchangedforagreaterquantityofothergoods。Letussuppose,forexample,thatinthegreaterpartofemploymentstheproductivepowersoflabourhadbeenimprovedtotenfold,orthataday’slabourcouldproducetentimesthequantityofworkwhichithaddoneoriginally;butthatinaparticularemploymenttheyhadbeenimproved,onlytodouble,orthataday’slabourcouldproduceonlytwicethequantityofworkwhichithaddonebefore。Inexchangingtheproduceofaday’slabourinthegreaterpartofemploymentsforthatofaday’slabourinthisparticularone,tentimestheoriginalquantityofworkinthemwouldpurchaseonlytwicetheoriginalquantityinit。Anyparticularquantityinit,therefore,apoundweight,forexample,wouldappeartobefivetimesdearerthanbefore。Inreality,however,itwouldbetwiceascheap。Thoughitrequiredfivetimesthequantityofothergoodstopurchaseit,itwouldrequireonlyhalfthequantityoflaboureithertopurchaseortoproduceit。Theacquisition,therefore,wouldbetwiceaseasyasbefore。
Butthisoriginalstateofthings,inwhichthelabourerenjoyedthewholeproduceofhisownlabour,couldnotlastbeyondthefirstintroductionoftheappropriationoflandandtheaccumulationofstock。Itwasatanend,therefore,longbeforethemostconsiderableimprovementsweremadeintheproductivepowersoflabour,anditwouldbetonopurposetotracefurtherwhatmighthavebeenitseffectsupontherecompenseorwagesoflabour。
Assoonaslandbecomesprivateproperty,thelandlorddemandsashareofalmostalltheproducewhichthelabourercaneitherraise,orcollectfromit。Hisrentmakesthefirstdeductionfromtheproduceofthelabourwhichisemployeduponland。
Itseldomhappensthatthepersonwhotillsthegroundhaswherewithaltomaintainhimselftillhereapstheharvest。Hismaintenanceisgenerallyadvancedtohimfromthestockofamaster,thefarmerwhoemployshim,andwhowouldhavenointeresttoemployhim,unlesshewastoshareintheproduceofhislabour,orunlesshisstockwastobereplacedtohimwithaprofit。Thisprofit,makesaseconddeductionfromtheproduceofthelabourwhichisemployeduponland。
Theproduceofalmostallotherlabourisliabletothelikedeductionofprofit。Inallartsandmanufacturesthegreaterpartoftheworkmenstandinneedofamastertoadvancethemthematerialsoftheirwork,andtheirwagesandmaintenancetillitbecompleted。Hesharesintheproduceoftheirlabour,orinthevaluewhichitaddstothematerialsuponwhichitisbestowed;
andinthisshareconsistshisprofit。
Itsometimeshappens,indeed,thatasingleindependentworkmanhasstocksufficientbothtopurchasethematerialsofhiswork,andtomaintainhimselftillitbecompleted。Heisbothmasterandworkman,andenjoysthewholeproduceofhisownlabour,orthewholevaluewhichitaddstothematerialsuponwhichitisbestowed。Itincludeswhatareusuallytwodistinctrevenues,belongingtotwodistinctpersons,theprofitsofstock,andthewagesoflabour。
Suchcases,however,arenotveryfrequent,andineverypartofEurope,twentyworkmenserveunderamasterforonethatisindependent;andthewagesoflabourareeverywhereunderstoodtobe,whattheyusuallyare,whenthelabourerisoneperson,andtheownerofthestockwhichemployshimanother。
Whatarethecommonwagesoflabour,dependseverywhereuponthecontractusuallymadebetweenthosetwoparties,whoseinterestsarebynomeansthesame。Theworkmendesiretogetasmuch,themasterstogiveaslittleaspossible。Theformeraredisposedtocombineinordertoraise,thelatterinordertolowerthewagesoflabour。
Itisnot,however,difficulttoforeseewhichofthetwopartiesmust,uponallordinaryoccasions,havetheadvantageinthedispute,andforcetheotherintoacompliancewiththeirterms。Themasters,beingfewerinnumber,cancombinemuchmoreeasily;andthelaw,besides,authorizes,oratleastdoesnotprohibittheircombinations,whileitprohibitsthoseoftheworkmen。Wehavenoactsofparliamentagainstcombiningtolowerthepriceofwork;butmanyagainstcombiningtoraiseit。Inallsuchdisputesthemasterscanholdoutmuchlonger。Alandlord,afarmer,amastermanufacturer,amerchant,thoughtheydidnotemployasingleworkman,couldgenerallyliveayearortwouponthestockswhichtheyhavealreadyacquired。Manyworkmencouldnotsubsistaweek,fewcouldsubsistamonth,andscarceanyayearwithoutemployment。Inthelongruntheworkmanmaybeasnecessarytohismasterashismasteristohim;butthenecessityisnotsoimmediate。
Werarelyhear,ithasbeensaid,ofthecombinationsofmasters,thoughfrequentlyofthoseofworkmen。Butwhoeverimagines,uponthisaccount,thatmastersrarelycombine,isasignorantoftheworldasofthesubject。Mastersarealwaysandeverywhereinasortoftacit,butconstantanduniformcombination,nottoraisethewagesoflabourabovetheiractualrate。Toviolatethiscombinationiseverywhereamostunpopularaction,andasortofreproachtoamasteramonghisneighboursandequals。Weseldom,indeed,hearofthiscombination,becauseitistheusual,andonemaysay,thenaturalstateofthings,whichnobodyeverhearsof。Masters,too,sometimesenterintoparticularcombinationstosinkthewagesoflabourevenbelowthisrate。Thesearealwaysconductedwiththeutmostsilenceandsecrecy,tillthemomentofexecution,andwhentheworkmenyield,astheysometimesdo,withoutresistance,thoughseverelyfeltbythem,theyareneverheardofbyotherpeople。Suchcombinations,however,arefrequentlyresistedbyacontrarydefensivecombinationoftheworkmen;whosometimestoo,withoutanyprovocationofthiskind,combineoftheirownaccordtoraisethepriceoftheirlabour。Theirusualpretencesare,sometimesthehighpriceofprovisions;sometimesthegreatprofitwhichtheirmastersmakebytheirwork。Butwhethertheircombinationsbeoffensiveordefensive,theyarealwaysabundantlyheardof。Inordertobringthepointtoaspeedydecision,theyhavealwaysrecoursetotheloudestclamour,andsometimestothemostshockingviolenceandoutrage。Theyaredesperate,andactwiththefollyandextravaganceofdesperatemen,whomusteitherstarve,orfrightentheirmastersintoanimmediatecompliancewiththeirdemands。Themastersupontheseoccasionsarejustasclamorousupontheotherside,andneverceasetocallaloudfortheassistanceofthecivilmagistrate,andtherigorousexecutionofthoselawswhichhavebeenenactedwithsomuchseverityagainstthecombinationsofservants,labourers,andjourneymen。Theworkmen,accordingly,veryseldomderiveanyadvantagefromtheviolenceofthosetumultuouscombinations,which,partlyfromtheinterpositionofthecivilmagistrate,partlyfromthenecessitysuperiorsteadinessofthemasters,partlyfromthenecessitywhichthegreaterpartoftheworkmenareunderofsubmittingforthesakeofpresentsubsistence,generallyendinnothing,butthepunishmentorruinoftheringleaders。
Butthoughindisputeswiththeirworkmen,mastersmustgenerallyhavetheadvantage,thereis,however,acertainratebelowwhichitseemsimpossibletoreduce,foranyconsiderabletime,theordinarywagesevenofthelowestspeciesoflabour。