Ontheotherhandthescaleofproductionapartfromfixedcapitalmightbedoubled。Inthatcaseaproductiveprocessofdoublethepreviousvolumewouldbecarriedonwiththesameadvancedcapitalof£;900。
Ifontheotherhandthepricesofthecirculationelementsofproductivecapitalweretoincreasebyonehalf,£;1500insteadof£;100or£;1,350insteadof£;900wouldberequiredperweek。Itwouldtakeanadditionalcapitalof£;450tocarryonthebusinessonthesamescale,andthiswouldexertaprotantopressureonthemoney-market,bigorsmalldependingonitscondition。Ifallthecapitalavailableonthismarketwerethenalreadyengaged,therewouldbeincreasedcompetitionforavailablecapital。Ifaportionofitwereunemployed,itwouldprotantobecalledintoaction。
But,inthethirdplace,givenacertainscaleofproduction,theturnovervelocityandthepricesoftheelementsofthecirculatingproductivecapitalremainingthesame,thepriceoftheproductsofBusinessXmayriseorfall。IfthepriceofthecommoditiessuppliedbyBusinessXfalls,thepriceofitscommodity-capitalof£;600,whichitconstantlythrewintocirculation,dropsto,say,£;500。Henceone-sixthofthevalueoftheadvancedcapitaldoesnotreturnfromtheprocessofcirculation。
Thesurplus-valuecontainedinthecommodity-capitalisnotconsideredhere。Itislostinthatprocess。Butsincethevalue,orprice,oftheelementsofproductionremainsthesame,thisrefluxof£;500sufficesonlytoreplace5/6ofthecapitalof£;600constantlyengagedintheprocessofproduction。Itwouldthereforerequiredanadditionalmoney-capitalof£;100tocontinueproductiononthesamescale。
Viceversa,ifthepriceoftheproductofBusinessXweretorise,thenthepriceofthe£;600commodity-capitalwouldbeincreased,say,to£;700。One-seventhofthisprice,or£;100,doesnotoriginateintheprocessofproduction,isnotadvancedinthisprocess,butderivesfromtheprocessofcirculation。Butonly£;600areneededtoreplacetheelementsofproduction。Hence,thereleaseof£;100。
Itdoesnotfallwithinthescopeoftheinvestigationhithertomadetoascertainwhy,inthefirstcase,theperiodofturnoverisshortenedorlengthened,andwhyinthesecondcasethepricesofrawmaterialsandlabour,andinthethird,thepricesoftheproductssupplied,riseorfall。
Butthefollowingdoesbelonginit:
Firstcase:UnchangedScaleofProduction,UnchangedPricesoftheElementsofProductionandofProducts,andaChangeinthePeriodofCirculationandThusofTurnover。
Accordingtotheassumptionsofourexample,one-ninthlessofthetotaladvancedcapitalisneededasaresultofthecontractionoftheperiodofcirculation,sothatthetotalcapitalisreducedfrom£;900
to£;800and£;100ofmoney-capitaliseliminated。
BusinessXsupplies,justasbefore,thesamesixweeks’productofthesamevalueof£;600,andasworkcontinuesyearinyearoutwithoutinterruption,itsuppliesin51weeksthesamequantityofproducts,valuedat£;5,100。Thereis,then,nochangesofarasthequantityandpriceoftheproductthrownintocirculationbythisbusinessareconcerned,norinthetimeswhenitthrowsitsproductonthemarket。But£;100
areeliminatedbecauseduetothecontractionofthecirculationperiodtherequirementsoftheprocessaresatisfiedwithonly£;800insteadoftheformer£;900。The£;100eliminatedcapitalexistintheformofmoney-capital。Buttheydonotbyanymeansrepresentthatportionoftheadvancedcapitalwhichwouldhavetofunctionconstantlyintheformofmoney-capital。Letusassumethat4/5,or£;480,oftheadvancedcirculatingcapitalIof£;600areconstantlyinvestedinproductivematerialsand1/5,or£;120,inwages。Thentheweeklyinvestmentinmaterialsofproductionwouldbe£;80andinwages£;20。CapitalII,amountingto£;300,shouldthenalsobedividedinto4/5,or£;240,formaterialsofproductionand1/5,or£;60,forwages。Thecapitalinvestedinwagesmustalwaysbeadvancedintheformofmoney。Assoonasthecommodity-product,worth£;600,hasbeenreconvertedintothemoney-form,orsold,£;480ofitcanbetransformedintomaterialsofproductionproductivesupply,but£;120retaintheirmoney-forminordertoserveforthepaymentofwagesforsixweeks。These£;120
aretheminimumofthereturningcapitalof£;600whichmustalwaysberenewedandreplacedintheformofmoney-capitalandthereforemustalwaysbekeptonhandasthatportionoftheadvancedcapitalwhichfunctionsintheformofmoney。
Now,if£;100ofthe£;300periodicallyreleasedforthreeweeks,andlikewisedivisibleinto£;240forproductivesupplyand£;60forwages,isentirelyeliminated,completelythrustoutoftheturnovermechanism,intheformofmoney-capitalbyshorteningthecirculationtime,wheredoesthemoneyforthismoney-capitalof£;100
comefrom?Onlyone-fifthofthisamountconsistsofmoney-capitalperiodicallysetfreewithintheturnovers。Butfour-fifths,or£;80,arealreadyreplacedbyanadditionalproductivesupplyofthesamevalue。Inwhatmanneristhisadditionalproductivesupplyconvertedintomoney,andwheredoesthemoneyforthisconversioncomefrom?
Iftheabridgedperiodofcirculationhasbecomeafact,thenonly£;400oftheabove£;600,insteadof£;480,arereconvertedintoproductivesupply。Theremainder,£;80,isretainedinitsmoney-formandconstitutes,togetherwiththeabove£;20forwages,the£;100
ofeliminatedcapital。Althoughthese£;100comefromthesphereofcirculationthroughthesaleofthe£;600worthofcommodity-capitalandarenowwithdrawnfromitbynotbeingreinvestedinwagesandelementsofproduction,itmustnotbeforgottenthat,beinginthemoney-form,theyareoncemoreinthatforminwhichtheywereoriginallythrownintocirculation。Inthebeginning£;900wereinvestedinproductivesupplyandwages。Nowonly£;800arenecessarytocarryoutthesameproductiveprocess。The£;100thusreleasedinmoneynowformanew,employment-seekingmoney-capital,anewconstituentpartofthemoney-market。True,theyhavealreadypreviouslybeenperiodicallyintheformofreleasedmoney-capitalandofadditionalproductivecapital,buttheselatentstateswerethemselvestherequisitesfortheexecutionoftheprocessofproduction,becausetheyweretherequisitesforitscontinuity。Nowtheyarenolongerneededforthatpurposeandforthisreasonformnewmoney-capitalandaconstituentpartofthemoney-market,althoughtheybynomeansformeitheranadditionalelementoftheavailablesocialmoney-supplyfortheyexistedatthebeginningofthebusinessandwerethrownbyitintothecirculation,oranewlyaccumulatedhoard。
These£;100arenowinactualfactwithdrawnfromcirculationinasmuchastheyareapartoftheadvancedmoney-capitalthatisnolongeremployedinthesamebusiness。Butthiswithdrawalispossibleonlybecausetheconversionofthecommodity-capitalintomoney,andofthismoneyintoproductivecapital,C’——M——C,isacceleratedbyoneweek,sothatthecirculationofthemoneyoperatinginthisprocessislikewisehastened。
TheyhavebeenwithdrawnfromitbecausetheyarenolongerneededfortheturnoverofcapitalX。
Ithasbeenassumedherethattheadvancedcapitalbelongstohimwhoemploysit。Hadheborroweditnothingwouldbechanged。Withtheshorteningofthetimeofcirculationhewouldhavetoborrowonly£;800
insteadof£;900。The£;100,ifreturnedtothelender,wouldasbeforeform£;100ofnewmoney-capital,onlyinthehandsofY
insteadofX。shouldcapitalistXreceive£;480worthofmaterialsofproductiononcredit,sothathehastoadvanceonly£;210inmoneyforwagesoutofhisownpocket,hewouldnowhavetoprocure£;80
worthofmaterialslessoncreditandthissumwouldconstitutesuperfluouscommodity-capitalforthecapitalistgrantingthecredit,whilecapitalistXwouldhaveeliminated£;20inmoney。
Theadditionalsupplyforproductionisnowreducedbyone-third。
Itconsistedof£;240constitutingfour-fifthsof£;300,theadditionalcapitalII,butnowitisonly£;160,i。e。,additionalsupplyfor2insteadof3weeks。Itisnowrenewedevery2weeksinsteadofevery3,butonlyfor2insteadof3weeks。Thepurchases,forinstanceinthecottonmarket,arethusmorefrequentandsmaller。Thesameamountofcottoniswithdrawnfromthemarket,forthequantityoftheproductremainsthesame。Butthewithdrawalsaredistributeddifferentlyintime,extendingoveralongerperiod。Supposingthatitisaquestionof3monthsor2。Iftheannualconsumptionofcottonamountsto1,200bales,thesalesinthefirstcasewillbe:
January1,300bales,leftinstorage900balesApril1,300””””600”July1,300””””300”October1,300””””0”
Butinthesecondcase:January1,sold200,instorage1,000balesMarch1,”200,””800”May1,”
200,””600”July1,”200,””400”September1,”200,””200”November1,”200,””0”
Sothemoneyinvestedincottononlyreturnscompletelyonemonthlater,inNovemberinsteadofOctober。Ifthereforeone-ninthoftheadvancedcapital,or£;100,iseliminatedintheformofmoney-capitalbythecontractionofthecirculationtimeandthusoftheturnoverandifthese£;100arecomposedof£;20worthofperiodicallysuperfluousmoney-capitalforthepaymentofweeklywages,andof£;80whichexistedasperiodicallysuperfluousproductivesupplyforoneweek,thenthediminishedsuperfluousproductivesupplyinthehandsofthemanufacturercorresponds,sofarasthese£;80areconcerned,toanenlargedcommodity-supplyinthehandsofthecottondealer。Thelongerthiscottonliesinthelatter’swarehouseasacommodity,thelessitliesinthestoreroomofthemanufacturerasaproductivesupply。
HithertowepresupposedthatthecontractionofthetimeofcirculationinBusinessXwasduetothefactthatXsoldhisarticlesquicker,receivedhismoneyforthemsooner,or,intheeventofcredit,wasgivenshortertermsofpayment。Thecontractionwasthereforeattributedtoaquickersaleofthecommodities,toaquickertransformationofcommodity-capitalintomoney-capital,C’——M,thefirstphaseoftheprocessofcirculation。
Butitmightalsoderivefromthesecondphase,M——C,andhencefromasimultaneouschange,beitintheworkingperiodorinthetimeofcirculationofcapitalsY,Z,etc。,whichsupplycapitalistXwiththeproductiveelementsofhiscirculatingcapital。
Forinstanceifcotton,coal,etc。,withtheoldmethodsoftransport,arethreeweeksintransitfromtheirplaceofproductionorstoragetotheplaceofproductionofcapitalistX,thenX’sproductivesupplymustlastatleastforthreeweeks,untilthearrivalofnewsupplies。Solongascottonandcoalareintransit,theycannotserveasmeansofproduction。
Theyarethenratherasubjectoflabourforthetransportindustryandthecapitalemployedinit;theyarealsocommodity-capitalintheprocessofcirculationfortheproducerofcoalorthedealerincotton。Supposeimprovementsintransportreducethetransittotwoweeks。Thentheproductivesupplycanbechangedfromathree-weeklyintoafortnightlysupply。Thisreleasestheadditionaladvancedcapital£;80setasideforthispurposeandlikewisethe£;20forwages,becausetheturned-overcapitalof£;600returnsoneweeksooner。
Ontheotherhandifforinstancetheworkingperiodofthecapitalwhichsuppliestherawmaterialsiscutdownexamplesofwhichweregivenintheprecedingchapters,sothatthepossibilityarisesofrenewingthesupplyofrawmaterialsinlesstime,thentheproductivesupplymaybereducedandtheintervalbetweenperiodsofrenewalshortened。
If,viceversa,thetimeofcirculation,andthustheperiodofturnover,areprolonged,thenitisnecessarytoadvanceadditionalcapital。
Thismustcomeoutofthepocketofthecapitalisthimselfifhehasanyadditionalcapital。Butitwillthenbeinvestedinsomeformorotherasapartofthemoney-market。Tomakeitavailable,itmustbepriedloosefromitsoldform。Forinstancestocksmustbesold,depositswithdrawn,sothatinthiscasetoothemoney-marketisindirectlyaffected。Orhemustborrowit。Asforthatpartoftheadditionalcapitalwhichisneededforwages,itmustundernormalconditionsalwaysbeadvancedintheformofmoney-capital,andforthatpurposethecapitalistXexertshisshareofdirectpressureonthemoney-market。Butthisisindispensableforthepartwhichmustbeinvestedinmaterialsofproductiononlyifhemustpayforthemincash。Ifhecangetthemoncredit,thisdoesnothaveanydirectinfluenceonthemoney-market,becausetheadditionalcapitalisthenadvanceddirectlyasaproductivesupplyandnotinthefirstinstanceasmoney-capital。ButifthelenderthrowsthebillofexchangereceivedfromXdirectlyonthemarket,discountsit,etc。,thiswouldinfluencethemoney-marketindirectly,throughsomeoneelse。If,however,heusesthisnotetocoveradebtnotyetdueforinstance,thisadditionaladvancedcapitaldoesnotaffectthemoney-marketeitherdirectlyorindirectly。
SecondCase。AChangeinthePriceofMaterialsofProduction,AllOtherCircumstancesRemainingtheSame。
Wejustassumedthatthetotalcapitalof£;900wasfour-fifthsinvestedinmaterialsofproductionequalling£;720andone-fifthinwagesequalling£;180。
Ifthematerialsofproductiondroptohalf,theyrequireforthe6-weekperiodonly£;240insteadof£;480,andfortheadditionalcapitalNo。IIonly£;120insteadof£;240。CapitalIisthusreducedfrom£;600to£;240plus£;120,or£;360,andcapitalIIfrom£;300to£;120plus£;60,or£;180。
Thetotalcapitalof£;900isthereforereducedto£;360plus£;180,or£;540。Asumof£;360isthereforereleased。
Thiseliminatedandnowunemployedcapital,ormoney-capital,seekingemploymentinthemoney-market,isnothingbutaportionofthecapitalof£;900originallyadvancedasmoney-capital,which,duetothefallinthepricesofthematerialsofproduction,intowhichitisperiodicallyreconverted,hasbecomesuperfluousifthebusinessisnottobeexpandedbutcarriedononthesamescale。Ifthisfallinpriceswerenotduetoaccidentalcircumstancesaparticularlyrichharvest,over-supply,etc。buttoanincreaseofproductivepowerinthebranchofproductionwhichfurnishestherawmaterials,thenthismoney-capitalwouldbeanabsoluteadditiontothemoney-market,andtothecapitalavailableintheformofmoney-capitalingeneral,becauseitwouldnolongerconstituteanintegralpartofthecapitalalreadyinvested。
ThirdCase。AChangeintheMarketPriceoftheProductItself。
Inthecaseofafallinpricesaportionofthecapitalislost,andmustconsequentlybemadegoodbyanewadvanceofmoney-capital。Thislossofthesellermaybeagaintothebuyer。Directly,ifthemarketpriceoftheproducthasfallenmerelybecauseofanaccidentalfluctuation,andafterwardsrisesoncemoretoitsnormallevel。Indirectly,ifthechangeofpricesiscausedbyachangeofvaluereactingontheoldproductandifthisproductpassesagain,asanelementofproduction,intoanothersphereofproductionandtherereleasescapitalprotanto。IneithercasethecapitallostbyX,andforwhosereplacementheexertspressureonthemoney-market,maybesuppliedtohimbyhisbusinessfriendsasnewadditionalcapital。Allthattakesplacethenisatransfer。
If,onthecontrary,thepriceoftheproductrises,aportionofthecapitalwhichwasnotadvancedistakenoutofcirculation。Thisisnotanorganicpartofthecapitaladvancedintheprocessofproductionandunlessproductionisexpandedthereforeconstitutesmoney-capitaleliminated。
Aswehaveassumedthatthepricesoftheelementsoftheproductweregivenbeforeitwasbroughttomarketascommodity-capital,arealchangeofvaluemighthavecausedtheriseofpricessinceitactedretroactively,causingasubsequentriseinthepriceof,say,rawmaterials。InthateventcapitalistXwouldrealiseagainonhisproductcirculatingascommodity-capitalandonhisavailableproductivesupply。Thisgainwouldgivehimanadditionalcapital,whichwouldnowbeneededforthecontinuationofhisbusinesswiththenewandhigherpricesoftheelementsofproduction。
Ortheriseofpricesisbuttemporary。WhatcapitalistXthenneedsbywayofadditionalcapitalbecomesreleasedcapitalfortheotherside,insofarasX’sproductformsanelementofproductionforotherbranchesofbusiness。Whattheonehaslosttheotherhasgained。
NOTES
[31]Theweeksfallingwithinthesecondyearofturnoverareputinparenthesis。
1885:CapitalII——Chapter16
partII
THETURNOVEROFCAPITAL
CHAPTERXVI
THETURNOVEROFVARIABLECAPITALI。THEANNUALRATEOFSURPLUS-VALUE
Letusassumeacirculatingcapitalof£;2,500four-fifthsofwhich,or£;2,000,areconstantcapitalmaterialsofproductionandone-fifth,or£;500,isvariablecapitalinvestedinwages。
Lettheperiodofturnoverbe5weeks:theworkingperiod4weeks,theperiodofcirculation1week。ThencapitalIis£;2,000,consistingof£;1,600ofconstantcapitaland£;400ofvariablecapital;
capitalIIis£;500,£;400ofwhichareconstantand£;100
variable。Ineveryworkingweekacapitalof£;500isinvested。Inayearof50weeksanannualproductof50times500,or£;2,500,ismanufactured。CapitalIof£;2,000,constantlyemployedintheworkingperiod,isthereforeturnedover121/2times。121/2times2,000
makes£;25,000。Ofthese£;25,000four-fifths,or£;20,000,areconstantcapitallaidoutinmeansofproduction,andone-fifth,or£;5,000isvariablecapitallaidoutinwages。Thetotalcapitalof£;25,000isthusturnedover25,000/2,500,or10times。
Thevariablecirculatingcapitalexpendedinproductioncanserveafreshintheprocessofcirculationonlytotheextentthattheproductinwhichitsvalueisreproducedhasbeensold,convertedfromacommodity-capitalintoamoney-capital,inordertobeoncemorelaidoutinpaymentoflabour-power。
Butthesameistrueoftheconstantcirculatingcapitalmaterialsofproductioninvestedinproduction,thevalueofwhichreappearsintheproductasaportionofitsvalue。Whatthesetwoportions——thevariableandtheconstantpartofthecirculatingcapital——haveincommonandwhatdistinguishesthemfromthefixedcapitalisnotthatthevaluetransferredfromthemtotheproductiscirculatedbythecommodity-capital,i。e。,throughthecirculationoftheproductasacommodity。Oneportionofthevalueoftheproduct,andthusoftheproductcirculatingasacommodity,ofthecommodity-capital,alwaysconsistsofthewearandtearofthefixedcapital,thatistosay,ofthatportionofthevalueofthefixedcapitalwhichistransferredtotheproductduringtheprocessofproduction。Thedifferenceisreallythis:Thefixedcapitalcontinuestofunctionintheprocessofproductioninitsolduse-formforalongerorshortercycleofturnoverperiodsofthecirculatingcapitalequaltoconstantcirculatingplusvariablecirculatingcapital,whileeverysingleturnoverisconditionedonthereplacementoftheentirecirculatingcapitalpassingfromthesphereofproduction——intheformofcommodity-capital——intothesphereofcirculation。theconstantcirculatingandvariablecirculatingcapitalhavethefirstphaseofcirculation,C’——M,incommon。Inthesecondphasetheyseparate。Themoneyintowhichthecommodityisreconvertedisinparttransformedintoaproductivesupplyconstantcirculatingcapital。
Dependingonthedifferenttermsofpurchaseofitsconstituentparts,oneportionofthemoneymaysooner,anotherlater,beconvertedfrommoneyintomaterialsofproduction,butfinallyitiswhollyconsumedthatway。
Anotherportionofthemoneyrealisedbythesaleofthecommodityisheldintheformofamoney-supply,inordertobegraduallyexpendedinthepaymentofthelabour-powerincorporatedintheprocessofproduction。
Thispartconstitutesthevariablecirculatingcapital。Neverthelesstheentirereplacementofeitherportionalwaysoriginatesfromtheturnoverofcapital,fromitsconversionintoaproduct,fromaproductintoacommodity,fromacommodityintomoney。Thisisthereasonwhy,intheprecedingchapter,theturnoverofthecirculatingcapital,constantandvariable,wastreatedjointlyandseparatelywithoutpayinganyregardtothefixedcapital。
Inthequestionwhichweshallnowtakeup,wemustgoastepfartherandproceedwiththevariableportionofthecirculatingcapitalasthoughitalongconstitutedthecirculatingcapital。Inotherwords,weleaveoutofconsiderationtheconstantcirculatingcapitalwhichisturnedovertogetherwithit。
Asumof£;2,500hasbeenadvancedandthevalueoftheannualproductis£;25,000。Butthevariableportionofthecirculatingcapitalis£;500;thereforethevariablecapitalcontainedin£;25,000
amountsto25,000dividedby5,or£;5,000。Ifwedividethese£;5,000
by£;500,wefindthenumberofturnoversis10,justasitisinthecaseofthetotalcapitalof£;2,500。
Here,whereitisonlyaquestionoftheproductionofsurplus-value,itisabsolutelycorrecttomakethisaveragecalculation,accordingtowhichthevalueoftheannualproductisdividedbythevalueoftheadvancedcapitalandnotbythevalueofthatportionofthiscapitalwhichisemployedconstantlyinoneworkingperiodthus,inthepresentcastnotby400
butby500,notbycapitalIbutbycapitalIpluscapitalII。Weshallseelaterthat,fromanotherpointofview,thecalculationisnotquiteexact,justasthisaveragecalculationgenerallyisnotquiteexact。Thatistosay,itserveswellenoughforthepracticalpurposesofthecapitalist,butitdoesnotexpressexactlyorproperlyalltherealcircumstancesoftheturnover。
Wehavehithertoignoredonepartofthevalueofthecommodity-capital,namelythesurplus-valuecontainedinit,whichwasproducedduringtheprocessofproductionandincorporatedintheproduct。Tothiswehavenowtodirectourattention。
Supposethevariablecapitalof£;100investedweeklyproducesasurplus-valueof100%,or£;100,thenthevariablecapitalof£;500
investedovera5-weekturnoverperiodproduces£;500ofsurplus-value,i。e。,onehalfoftheworkingdayconsistsofsurplus-labour。
If£;500ofvariablecapitalproduceasurplus-valueof£;500,then£;5,000producetentimes£;500,or£;5,000insurplus-value。
Buttheadvancedvariablecapitalamountsto£;500。Theratioofthetotalsurplus-valueproducedduringoneyeartothesumofvalueoftheadvancedvariablecapitaliswhatwecalltheannualrateofsurplus-value。
Inthecaseathanditis5,000to500or1,000%。Ifweanalysethisratemoreclosely,wefindthatitisequaltotherateofsurplus-valueproducedbytheadvancedvariablecapitalduringoneperiodofturnover,multipliedbythenumberofturnoversofthevariablecapitalwhichcoincideswiththenumberofturnoversoftheentirecirculatingcapital。
Thevariablecapitaladvancedinthecasebeforeusforoneperiodofturnoveris£;500。Thesurplus-valueproducedduringthisperiodislikewise£;500。Therateofsurplus-valueforoneperiodofturnoveristherefore500s/500vor100%。This100%,multipliedby10,thenumberofturnoversinoneyear,makes5,000s/500v,or1,000%。
Thatreferstotheannualrateofsurplus-value。Asfortheamountofsurplus-valueobtainedduringaspecifiedperiodofturnover,itisequaltothevalueofthevariablecapitaladvancedduringthisperiod,of£;500inthepresentcase,multipliedbytherateofsurplus-value,inthepresentcasetherefore500times100/100,or500times1,or£;500。
iftheadvancedvariablecapitalwere£;1,500,thenwiththesamerateofthesurplus-valuetheamountofsurplus-valuewouldbe1,500times100/100,or£;1,500。
WeshallapplythetermcapitalAtothevariablecapitalof£;500,whichisturnedovertentimesperyear,producinganannualsurplus-valueof£;5,00forwhich,therefore,theyearlyrateofsurplus-valueis1,000%。
Nowletusassumethatanothervariablecapital,B,of£;5,000,isadvancedforonewholeyeari。e。,herefor50weeks,sothatitisturnedoveronlyonceayear。Weassumefurthermorethatattheendoftheyeartheproductispaidforonthesamedaythatitisfinished,sothatthemoney-capital,intowhichitisconverted,returnsonthesameday。Thecirculationperiodisthenzero,theperiodofturnoverequalstheworkingperiod,namely,oneyear。Asintheprecedingcasethereistobefoundinthelabour-processeachweekavariablecapitalof£;100,orof£;5,000in50weeks。Lettherateofsurplus-valuebethesame,or100%,i。e。,letonehalfoftheworking-dayofthesamelengthconsistofsurplus-labour。Ifweconsider5weeks,theinvestedvariablecapitalis£;500,therateofsurplus-value100%andthereforetheamountofsurplus-valueproducedin5weeks£;500。Thequantityoflabour-powerhereexploited,andtheintensityofitsexploitation,areassumedtobeexactlythesameasthoseofcapitalA。
Eachweektheinvestedvariablecapitalof£;100producesasurplus-valueof£;100,hencein50weekstheinvestedcapitalof50x100=£;5,000producesasurplus-valueof£;5,000。Theamountofsurplus-valueproducedannuallyisthesameasinthepreviouscase,£;5,000,buttheyearlyrateofsurplus-valueisentirelydifferent。
Itisequaltothesurplus-valueproducedinoneyeardividedbytheadvancedvariablecapital:5,000s/5,500v,or100%,whileinthecaseofcapitalAitwas1,000%。
InthecaseofbothcapitalsAandB,wehaveinvestedavariablecapitalof£;100aweek。Thedegreeofself-expansion,ortherateofsurplus-value,islikewisethesame,100%,andsoisthemagnitudeofthevariablecapital,£;100。Thesamequantityoflabour-powerisexploited,thevolumeanddegreeofexploitationareequalinbothcases,theworking-daysarethesameandequallydividedintonecessarylabourandsurplus-labour。Theamountofvariablecapitalemployedinthecourseoftheyearis£;5,000ineithercase;itsetsthesameamountoflabourinmotion,andextractsthesameamountofsurplus-value,£;5,000,fromthelabour-powersetinmotionbythesetwoequalcapitals。Neverthelessthereisadifferenceof900%intheannualrateofsurplus-valueofthetwocapitalsAandB。
Thisphenomenoncreatestheimpression,atallevents,thattherateofsurplus-valuedependsnotonlyonthequantityandintensityofexploitationofthelabour-powersetinmotionbythevariablecapital,butbesidesoninexplicableinfluencesarisingfromtheprocessofcirculation。
Andithasindeedbeensointerpreted,andhas——ifnotinthisitspureform,thenatleastinitsmorecomplicatedanddisguisedform,thatoftheannualrateofprofit——completelyroutedtheRicardianschoolsincethebeginningofthetwenties。
ThestrangenessofthisphenomenondisappearsatoncewhenweplacecapitalsAandBinexactlythesameconditions,notonlyseeminglybutactually。TheseequalconditionsexistonlywhenthevariablecapitalBinitsentirevolumeisexpendedforthepaymentoflabour-powerinthesameperiodoftimeascapitalA。
Inthatcasethe£;5,000ofcapitalBareinvestedfor5
weeks,£;1。000perweekmakesaninvestmentof£;50,000peryear。
Thesurplus-valueisthenlikewise£;50,000,accordingtoourpremises。
Theturned-overcapitalof£;50,000dividedbytheadvancedcapitalof£;5,000makesthenumberofturnovers10。Therateofsurplus-value,5,000s/5,500v,or100%,multipliedbythenumberofturnovers,10,makestheannualrateofsurplus-value50,000s/5,500v,or10/1,or1,000%。Nowtheannualrateofsurplus-valuearealikeforAandB,namely1,000%,buttheamountsofthesurplus-valueare£;50,000inthecaseofB,and£;5,000inthecaseofA。Theamountsofthesurplus-valueproducedarenowinthesameproportiontooneanotherastheadvancedcapital-valuesBandA,towit:5,000:500=10:1。ButcapitalBhassetinmotiontentimesasmuchlabour-powerascapitalAwithinthesametime。
Onlythecapitalactuallyemployedinthelabour-powerproducessurplus-valueandtoitapplyalllawsrelatingtosurplus-value,includingthereforethelawaccordingtowhichthequantityofsurplus-value,itsratebeinggiven,isdeterminedbytherelativemagnitudeofthevariablecapital。[SeeKarlMarx,Capital,Ch。XI——Ed。]
Thelabour-processitselfismeasuredbytime。Ifthelengthoftheworking-dayisgivenashere,wherewassumeallconditionsrelatingtoAandBtobeequal,inordertoelucidatethedifferenceintheannualrateofsurplus-value,theworkingweekconsistsofadefinitenumberofworking-days。Orwemayconsideranyworkingperiod,forinstancethisworkingperiodof5weeks,asonesingleworking-dayof,say,300hours,iftheworking-dayhas10hoursandtheweek6days。Wemustfurthermultiplythisnumberbythenumberoflabourerswhoareemployedconjointlyeverydaysimultaneouslyinthesamelabour-process。Ifthatnumberistakenas10,therewillbe60times10or600hoursinoneweek,andaworkingperiodof5weekswouldhave600times5,or3,000hours。Therateofsurplus-valueandthelengthoftheworking-daybeingthesame,variablecapitalsofequalmagnitudearethereforeemployed,ifequalquantitiesoflabour-poweralabour-powerofthesamepricemultipliedbythenumberoflabourers
aresetinmotioninthesametime。
Letusnowreturntoouroriginalexamples。Inbothcases,AandB,equalvariablecapitalsof£;100perweeareinvestedeveryweekthroughouttheyear。Theinvestedvariablecapitalsactuallyfunctioninginthelabour-processarethereforeequal,buttheadvancedvariablecapitalsareveryunequal。InthecaseofA,£;500areadvancedforevery5
weeks,ofwhich£;100areemployedeveryweek。InthecaseofB,£;5,000
mustbeadvancedforthefirst5-weekperiod,ofwhichonly£;100
perweek,or£;500in5weeks,orone-tenthoftheadvancedcapital,isemployed。Inthesecond5-weekperiod£;4,500mustbeadvanced,butonly£;500ofthisisemployed,etc。Thevariablecapitaladvancedforadefiniteperiodoftimeisconvertedintoemployed,henceactuallyfunctioningandoperativevariablecapitalonlytotheextentthatitreallystepsintothesectionsofthatperiodoftimetakenupbythelabour-process,totheextentthatitreallyfunctionsinthelabour-process。Intheintermediatetime,inwhichaportionofitisadvancedinordertobeemployedlater,thisportionispracticallynon-existentforthelabour-processandhasthereforenoinfluenceontheformationofeithervalueorsurplus-value。
TakeforinstancecapitalA,of£;500。Itisadvancedfor5weeks,buteveryweekonly£;100entersuccessivelyintothelabour-process。
Inthefirstweekone-fifthofthiscapitalisemployed;four-fifthsareadvancedwithoutbeingemployed,althoughtheymustbeinstock,andthereforeadvanced,forthelabour-processesofthefollowing4weeks。
Thecircumstanceswhichdifferentiatetherelationbetweentheadvancedandtheemployedvariablecapitalaffecttheproductionofsurplus-value——therateofsurplus-valuebeinggiven——onlytotheextent,andonlybyreasonofthefactthattheydifferentiatethequantityofvariablecapitalwhichcanbereallyemployedinastatedperiodoftime,forinstanceinoneweek,5weeks,etc。Theadvancedvariablecapitalfunctionsasvariablecapitalonlytotheextentandonlyduringthetimethatitisactuallyemployed,andnotduringthetimeinwhichitremainsinstock,isadvanced,withoutbeingemployed。Butallthecircumstanceswhichdifferentiatetherelationbetweentheadvancedandtheemployedvariablecapitalcomedowntothedifferenceoftheperiodsofturnoverdeterminedbythedifferenceofeithertheworkingperiod,orthecirculationperiod,orboth。Thelawofproductionofsurplus-valuestatesthatequalquantitiesoffunctioningvariablecapitalproduceequalquantitiesofsurplus-valueiftherateofsurplus-valueisthesame。Ifthen,equalquantitiesofvariablecapitalareemployedbythecapitalsAandBinequalperiodsoftimewithequalratesofsurplus-value,theymustgenerateequalquantitiesofsurplus-valueinequalperiodsoftime,nomatterhowdifferenttheratioofthisvariablecapitalemployedduringadefiniteperiodoftimetothevariablecapitaladvancedduringthesametime,andnomatterthereforehowdifferenttheratioofthequantitiesofsurplus-valueproduced,nottotheemployedbuttotheadvancedvariablecapitalingeneral。Thedifferenceofthisratio,farfromcontradictingthelawsoftheproductionofsurplus-valuethathavebeendemonstrated,rathercorroboratesthemandisoneoftheirinevitableconsequences。
Letusconsiderthefirst5-weekproductiveperiodofcapitalB。Attheendofthefifthweek£;500havebeenemployedandconsumed。
Thevalueoftheproductis£;1,000,hence500s/500v=100%。JustthesameaswithcapitalA。Thefactthat,inthecaseofcapitalA,thesurplus-valueisrealisedtogetherwiththeadvancedcapital,whileinthecaseofBitisnot,doesnotconcernushere,whereitisonlyaquestionoftheproductionofsurplus-valueandofitsratiotothevariablecapitaladvancedduringitsproduction。Butifonthecontrarywecalculatetherationofsurplus-valueinB,nottothatportionoftheadvancedcapitalof£;5,000whichhasbeenemployedandhenceconsumedduringitsproduction,buttothistotaladvancedcapitalitself,wefindthatitis500s/5,500vof1/10,or10%。Henceitis10%forcapitalBand100%forcapitalA,i。e。,ten-fold。Ifitweresaid:thisdifferenceintherateofsurplus-valueforequalcapitals,whichhavesetinmotionequalquantitiesoflabourequallydividedatthatintopaidandunpaidlabour,iscontrarytothelawsoftheproductionofsurplus-value,theanswerwouldbesimpleandpromptedbyamereglanceattheactualrelations:InthecaseofA,theactualrateofsurplus-valueisexpressed,i。e。,therelationofasurplus-valueproducedin5weeksbyavariablecapitalof£;500,tothevariablecapitalof£;500。InthecaseofBontheotherhandthecalculationisofakindwhichhasnothingtodoeitherwiththeproductionofsurplus-valueorwiththedeterminationofitscorrespondingrateofsurplus-value。Forthe£;500ofsurplus-valueproducedbyavariablecapitalof£;500
ofvariablecapitaladvancedduringtheirproduction,butwithreferencetoacapitalof£;5,000,nine-tenthsofwhich,or£;4,500,havenothingwhatevertodowiththeproductionofthissurplus-valueof£;500,butareonthecontraryintendedtofunctiongraduallyinthecourseofthefollowing45weeks,sothattheydonotexistatallsofarastheproductionofthefirst5weeksisconcerned,whichaloneisatissueinthisinstance。Henceinthiscasethedifferenceintheratesofsurplus-valueofAandBpresentsnoproblematall。
Letusnowcomparetheannualratesofsurplus-valueforcapitalsBandA。ForcapitalBitis500s/500v=100%;forcapitalAitis5,000s/500v=1,000%。Buttheratiooftheratesofsurplus-valueisthesameasbefore。
TherewehadRateofSurplus-ValueofCapitalB10%——RateofSurplus-ValueofCapitalA=100%NowwehaveAnnualRateofSurplus-ValueofCapitalB
100%——AnnualRateofSurplus-ValueofCapitalA=1,000%But10%:100%=100%:1,000%,sothattheproportionisthesame。
Butnowtheproblemhaschanged。TheannualrateofcapitalB,5,000s/5,500v=100%,offersnottheslightestdeviation——noteventhesemblanceofadeviation——fromthelawsofproductionknowntousandoftherateofsurplus-valuecorrespondingtothisproduction。Duringtheyear5,000vhavebeenadvancedandproductivelyconsumed,andtheyhaveproduced5,000s。Therateofsurplus-valuethereforeequalstheabovefraction,5,000s/5,500v=100%。Theannualrateagreeswiththeactualrateofsurplus-value。
InthiscaseitisthereforenotcapitalBbutcapitalAwhichpresentstheanomalythathastobeexplained。
Wehaveheretherateofsurplus-value5,000s/500v=1,000%。Butwhileinthefirstcase500s,theproductof5weeks,wascalculatedforanadvancedcapitalof£;5,000,nine-tenthsofwhichwerenotemployedbyitsproduction,wehavenow5,000scalculatedfor500v,i。e。,foronlyone-tenthofthevariablecapitalactuallyemployedintheproductionof5,000s;forthe5,000saretheproductofavariablecapitalof£;5,000
productivelyconsumedduring50weeks,notthatofacapitalof£;500
consumedinonesingleperiodof5weeks。Inthefirstcasethesurplus-valueproducedin5weekshadbeencalculatedforacapitaladvancedfor50weeks,acapitaltentimesaslargeastheoneconsumedduringthe5weeks。Nowthesurplus-valueproducedin50weeksiscalculatedforacapitaladvancedfor5weeks,acapitaltentimessmallerthantheoneconsumedin50weeks。
CapitalA,of£;500,isneveradvancedformorethan5weeks。
Attheendofthistimeitreturnsandcanrenewthesameprocessinthecourseoftheyeartentimes,asitmakestenturnovers。Twoconclusionsfollowfromthis:
Firstly:ThecapitaladvancedinthecaseofAisonlyfivetimeslargerthanthatportionofcapitalwhichisconstantlyemployedintheproductiveprocessofoneweek。OntheotherhandcapitalBwhichisturnedoveronlyoncein50weeksandmustthereforebeadvancedfor50weeks,isfiftytimeslargerthanthatoneofitsportionswhichcanconstantlybeemployedforoneweek。Theturnoverthereforemodifiestherelationbetweenthecapitaladvancedduringtheyearfortheprocessofproductionandthecapitalconstantlyemployableforadefiniteperiodofproduction,say,aweek。Herewehave,thenthefirstcase,inwhichthesurplus-valueof5weeksisnotcalculatedforthecapitalemployedduringthese5weeks,butforacapitaltentimeslarger,employedfor50weeks。
Secondly:The5-weekperiodofturnoverofcapitalAcomprisesonlyone-tenthoftheyear,sothatoneyearcontainstensuchturnoverperiods,inwhichcapitalAof£;500issuccessivelyre-invested。
Theemployedcapitalishereequaltothecapitaladvancedfor5weeks,multipliedbythenumberofperiodsofturnoverperyear。Thecapitalemployedduringtheyearis500times10,or£;5,000。Thecapitaladvancedduringtheyearis5,000/10,or£;5,00。Indeed,althoughthe£;500
arealwaysre-employed,thesumadvancedevery5weeksneverexceedsthesesame£;500。OntheotherhandincaseofcapitalBonly£;500
areemployedduring5weeksandadvancedforthese5weeks。Butastheperiodofturnoverinthiscaseis50weeks,thecapitalemployedinoneyearisequaltothecapitaladvancedfor50weeksandnottothatadvancedforevery5weeks。Theannuallyproducedquantityofsurplus-value,giventherateofsurplus-value,ishowevercommensuratewiththecapitalemployedduringtheyear,notwiththecapitaladvancedduringtheyear。Henceitisnotlargerforthiscapitalof£;5,000,whichisturnedoveronceayear,thanitisforthecapitalof£;500,whichisturnedovertentimesayear。Anditissobigonlybecausethecapitalturnedoveronceayearisitselftentimeslargerthanthecapitalturnedovertentimesayear。
Thevariablecapitalturnedoverduringoneyear——hencetheportionoftheannualproduct,oroftheannualexpenditureequaltothatportion——isthevariablecapitalactuallyemployed,productivelyconsumed,duringthatyear。ItfollowsthereforethatifthevariablecapitalAturnedoverannuallyandthevariablecapitalBturnedoverannuallyareequalandtheemployedunderequalconditionsofself-expansion,sothattherateofsurplus-valueisthesameforbothofthem,thenthequantityofsurplus-valueproducedannuallymustlikewisebethesameforbothofthem。
Hencetherateofsurplus-valuecalculatedforayearmustalsobethesame,sincetheamountsofcapitalemployedarethesame,sofarastherateisexpressedbyquantityofsurplus-valueproducedannually——variablecapitalturnedoverannually。Or,expressedgenerally:Whatevertherelativemagnitudeoftheturned-overvariablecapitals,therateofthesurplus-valueproducedbytheminthecourseoftheyearisdeterminedbytherateofsurplus-valueatwhichtherespectivecapitalshaveworkedinaverageperiodssay,theaverageofaweekorday。
Thisistheonlyconsequenceofthelawsofproductionofsurplus-valueandofthedeterminationoftherateofsurplus-value。
LetusseefurtherwhatisexpressedbytheratioCapitalturnedoverannually——capitaladvancedtakingintoaccount,aswehavesaidbefore,onlythevariablecapital。
Thedivisionshowsthenumberofturnoversmadebythecapitaladvancedinoneyear。
InthecaseofcapitalAwehave:
£;5,000ofcapitalturnedoverannually——£;500ofcapitaladvancedInthecaseofcapitalBwehave:
£;5,000ofcapitalturnedoverannually——£;5,000ofcapitaladvancedInbothratiosthenumeratorexpressedtheadvancedcapitalmultipliedbythenumberofturnovers;inthecaseofA,500times10;inthecaseofB,5,000times1。Oritmaybemultipliedbytheinvertedtimeofturnovercalculatedforoneyear。ThetimeofturnoverforAis1/10
ofayear;theinvertedtimeofturnoveris10/1years;hence500times10/1,or5,000。InthecaseofB,5,000times1/1,or5,000。Thedenominatorexpressestheturned-overcapitalmultipliedbytheinvertednumberofturnovers;inthecaseofA,5,000times1/10;inthecaseofB,5,000
times1/1。
Therespectivequantitiesoflabourthesumofthepaidandunpaidlabour,whicharesetinmotionbythetwovariablecapitalsturnedoverannually,areequalinthiscase,becausetheturned-overcapitalsthemselvesareequalandtheirratesofself-expansionarelikewiseequal。
Theratioofvariablecapitalturnedoverannuallytothevariablecapitaladvancedindicates1theratioofthecapitaltobeadvancedtothevariablecapitalemployedduringadefiniteworkingperiod。Ifthenumberofturnoversis10,asinthecaseofA,andtheyearassumedtohave50weeks,thentheperiodofturnoveris5weeks。Forthese5weeksvariablecapitalmustbeadvancedandthecapitaladvancedfor5weeksmustbe5timesaslargeasthevariablecapitalemployedduringoneweek。
Thatistosay,onlyone-fifthoftheadvancedcapitalinthiscase£;500
canbeemployedinthecourseofoneweek。Ontheotherhand,inthecaseofcapitalB,wherethenumberofturnoversis11/,thetimeofturnoveris1year,or50weeks。Theratiooftheadvancedcapitaltothecapitalemployedweeklyistherefore50:1。IfmatterswerethesameforBastheyareforA,thenBwouldhavetoinvest£;1,000perweekinsteadof£;100。2ItfollowsthatBehasemployedtentimesasmuchcapital£;5,000asAtosetinmotionthesamequantityofvariablecapitalandhence——therateofsurplus-valuebeinggiven——oflabourpaidandunpaid,andthustoproducealsothesamequantityofsurplus-valueduringtheyear。Therealrateofsurplus-valueexpressesnothingbuttheratioofthevariablecapitalemployedduringadefiniteperiodtothesurplus-valueproducedinthesametime;orthequantityofunpaidlaboursetinmotionbythevariablecapitalemployedduringthistime。Ithasabsolutelynothingtodowiththatportionofthevariablecapitalwhichisadvancedduringthetimeinwhichitisnotemployed。Henceithaslikewisenothingtodowiththeratiobetweenthatportionofcapitalwhichisadvancedduringadefiniteperiodoftimeandthatportionwhichisemployedduringthesameperiodoftime——aratiothatismodifiedanddifferentiatedfordifferentcapitalsbytheturnoverperiod。
Itfollowsratherfromwhathasbeensetforthabovethattheannualrateofsurplus-valuecoincidesonlyinonesinglecasewiththerealrateofsurplus-valuewhichexpressesthedegreeofexploitationoflabour;namelyinthecasewhentheadvancedcapitalisturnedoveronlyonceayearandthecapitaladvancedisthusequaltothecapitalturnedoverinthecourseoftheyear,whenthereforetheratioofthequantityofthesurplus-valueproducedduringtheyeartothecapitalemployedduringtheyearinthisproductioncoincidesandisidenticalwiththeratioofthequantityofsurplus-valueproducedduringtheyeartothecapitaladvancedduringtheyear。
ATheannualrateofsurplus-valueisequaltothequantityofsurplus-valueproducedduringtheyear——variablecapitaladvancedButthequantityofthesurplus-valueproducedduringtheyearisequaltotherealrateofsurplus-valuemultipliedbythevariablecapitalemployedinitsproduction。Thecapitalemployedintheproductionoftheannualquantityofsurplus-valueisequaltotheadvancedcapitalmultipliedbythenumberofitsturnovers,whichweshallcalln。FormulaAisthereforetransformedintothefollowing:
BTheannualrateofsurplus-valueisequaltotherealrateofsurplus-valuexvariablecapitaladvancedxn——variablecapitaladvancedForinstance,inthecaseofcapitalB=100x5,000x1/5,000,or100%。
Onlywhennisequalto1,thatis,whenthevariablecapitaladvancedisturnedoveronlyonceayear,andhenceequaltothecapitalemployedorturnedoverduringayear,theannualrateofsurplus-valueisequaltoitsrealrate。
Letuscalltheannualrateofsurplus-valueS’,therealrateofsurplus-values’,theadvancedvariablecapitalv,thenumberofturnoversn。ThenS’=s’vn/v=s’n。Inotherwords,S’isequaltos’n,anditisequaltos’onlywhenn=1,andhenceS’=s’times1,ors’。
Itfollowsfurthermorethattheannualrateofsurplus-valueisalwaysequaltos’n,i。e。,totherealrateofsurplus-valueproducedinoneperiodofturnoverbythevariablecapitalconsumedduringthatperiod,multipliedbythenumberofturnoversofthisvariablecapitalduringoneyear,orwhatamountstothesamemultipliedbyitsinvertedtimeofturnovercalculatedforoneyear。Ifthevariablecapitalisturnoverovertentimesperyear,thenitstimeofturnoveris1/10
ofayear;itsinvertedtimeofturnovertherefore10/1or10。
ItfollowsfurthermorethatS’=s’whennisequalto1。S’isgreaterthans’whennisgreaterthan1;i。e。,whentheadvancedcapitalisturnedovermorethanonceayearortheturned-overcapitalisgreaterthanthecapitaladvanced。
Finally,S’issmallerthans’whennissmallerthan1,thatis,whenthecapitalturnedoverduringtheyearisonlyapartoftheadvancedcapital,sothattheperiodofturnoverislongerthanoneyear。
Letusdwellamomentonthislastcase。
Weretainallthepremisesofourformerillustration,exceptthattheperiodofturnoverislengthenedto55weeks。Thelabour-processrequiresavariablecapitalof£;100perweek,hence£;5,500
fortheperiodofturnover,andproduceseveryweek100s;s’istherefore100%,asbefore。Thenumberofturnovers,n,ishere50/55or10/11,becausethetimeofturnoveris1plus1/10oftheyearof50weeks,or11/10years。
S’=100%x5,500x10/11/5,500=100x10/11=1000/11=90
10/11%。Itisthereforesmallerthan100%。
Indeed,iftheannualrateofsurplus-valuewere100%,thenduringtheyear5,500vwouldproduce5,500s,whereas10/11yearsarerequiredforthat。The5,500vproduceonly5,000sduringoneyear,thereforetheannualrateofsurplus-valueis5,000s/5,500v,or10/11or9010/11%。
Theannualrateofsurplus-value,orthecomparisonbetweenthesurplus-valueproducedduringoneyearandthevariablecapitaladvancedingeneralasdistinguishedfromthevariablecapitalturnedoverduringtheyear,isthereforenomerelysubjectivecomparison;theactualmovementofthecapitalitselfgivesrisetothiscontraposition。SofarastheownerofcapitalAisconcerned,hisadvancedvariablecapitalofx500hasreturnedtohimattheendoftheyear,andx5,000ofsurplus-valueinaddition。Itisnotthequantityofcapitalemployedbyhimduringtheyear,butthequantityreturningtohimperiodicallythatexpressesthemagnitudeofhisadvancedcapital。Itisimmaterialforthepresentissuewhetherattheendoftheyearthecapitalexistspartlyasaproductivesupply,orpartlyasmoney-orcommodity-capital,andinwhatproportionsitmayhavebeendividedintothesedifferentparts。SofarastheownerofcapitalBisconcerned,£;5,000,hisadvancedcapital,hasreturnedtohimbesides£;5,000insurplus-value。FortheownerofcapitalCthelastconsidered,worth£;5,500surplus-valuetotheamountof£;5,000hasbeenproducedduringtheyear£;5,000investedandrateofsurplus-value100%,buthisadvancedcapitalhasnotyetreturnedtohim,norhashisproducedsurplus-value。
S’=s’nindicatesthattherateofsurplus-valuevalidforthevariablecapitalemployedduringoneperiodofturnover,towit,quantityofsproducedinoneturnoverperiod——vemployedinoneturnoverperiodmustbemultipliedbythenumberofturnoverperiods,oroftheperiodsofreproductionoftheadvancedvariablecapital,bythenumberofperiodsinwhichitrenewsitscircuit。
WehavealreadyseenBuchI,Kap。IV[Englishedition:PartII——
Ed。]TheTransformationofMoneyintoCapital,andfurthermoreBuchI,Kap。XXI[Englishedition:Ch。XXIII——Ed。]SimpleReproduction,thatthecapital-valueisingeneraladvanced,notexpended,asthisvalue,havingpassedthroughthevariousphasesofitscircuit,returnstoitspointofdeparture,andatthatenrichedbysurplus-value。
Thischaracterisesitasadvanced。Thetimethatelapsesfromthemomentofitsdeparturetothemomentofitsreturnisthetimeforwhichitwasadvanced。Theentirecircularmovementdescribedbycapital-value,measuredbythetimefromitsadvancetoitsreturn,constitutesitsturnover,andthedurationofthisturnoverisaperiodofturnover。Whenthisperiodhasexpiredandthecircuitiscompleted,thesamecapital-valuecanrenewthesamecircuit,canthereforeexpandanew,cancreatesurplus-value。
Ifthevariablecapitalisturnedovertentimesinoneyear,asinthecaseofcapitalA,thenthesameadvanceofcapitalbegetsinthecourseofoneyeartentimesthequantityofsurplus-valuethatcorrespondstooneperiodofturnover。
Onemustgetaclearconceptionofthenatureofthisadvancefromthestandpointofcapitalistsociety。
CapitalA,whichisannuallyturnedovertentimes,isadvancedtentimesduringoneyear。Itisadvancedanewforeverynewperiodofturnover。Butatthesametime,duringtheyearAneveradvancesmorethanthissamecapital-valueof£;500andinactualfactneverdisposesofmorethanthese£;500fortheproductiveprocessexaminedbyus。
Assoonasthese£;500havecompletedonecircuitAmakesthemstartanewthesamecircuit;byitsverynaturecapitalpreservesitscharacterofcapitalonlybecauseitalwaysfunctionsascapitalinsuccessiveproductionprocesses。Itis,moreover,neveradvancedformorethanfiveweeks。Shouldtheturnoverlastlonger,itprovesinadequate。Shouldtheturnoverbecurtailed,apartbecomesuperfluous。Nottencapitalsof£;500areadvanced,butonecapitalof£;500isadvancedtentimesatsuccessiveintervals。Theannualrateofsurplus-valueisthereforenotcalculatedfortenadvancesofacapitalof£;500orfor£;5,000,butforoneadvanceofacapitalof£;500。Itisthesameasifoneshillingcirculatestentimesandyetneverrepresentsmorethanonesingleshillingincirculation,althoughitperformsthefunctionof10shillings。
Butinthepocketwhichholdsitaftereachchangeofhandsitretainsthesameidenticalvalueofoneshillingasbefore。
InthesamewaycapitalAindicatesateachsuccessivereturn,andlikewiseonitsreturnattheendoftheyear,thatitsownerhasoperatedalwayswiththesamecapital-valueof£;500。Henceonly£;500
returntohimeachtime。Hisadvancedcapitalisthereforenevermorethan£;500。Hencetheadvancedcapitalof£;500formsthedenominatorofthefractionwhichexpressestheannualrateofsurplus-value。WehadforittheaboveformulaS’=s’vn/v=s’n。Sincetherealrateofsurplus-value,s’,equalss/v,thequantityofsurplus-valuedividedbythevariablecapitalwhichproducedit,wemaysubstitutes/vforthevalueofs’ins’n,andgettheotherformulaS’=sn/v。
Butbyitsten-foldturnoverandthustheten-foldrenewalofitsadvance,thecapitalof£;500performsthefunctionofatentimeslargercapital,ofacapitalof£;5,000,justas500shillingswhichcirculatetentimesperyearperformthesamefunctionas5,000shillingswhichcirculateonlyonce。
II。THETURNOVEROFTHEINDIVIDUALVARIABLECAPITAL”Whatevertheformoftheprocessofproductioninasociety,itmustbeacontinuousprocess,mustcontinuetogoperiodicallythroughthesamephases……Whenviewedthereforeasaconnectedwholeandasflowingonwithincessantrenewal,everysocialprocessofproductionis,atthesametime,aprocessofreproduction……Asaperiodicincrementofthecapitaladvanced,orperiodicfruitofcapitalinprocess,surplus-valueacquirestheformofarevenueflowingoutofcapital。”BuchI,Kap。XXI,pp。588,589。[Englishedition:pp。566and567——Ed。]
InthecaseofcapitalAwehave10five-weekturnoverperiods。
Inthefirstperiodofturnover£;500ofvariablecapitalareadvanced;
i。e。,£;100areweeklyconvertedintolabour-power,sothat£;500
arespentonlabour-powerattheendofthefirstturnoverperiod。These£;500,originallyapartofthetotalcapitaladvanced,haveceasedtobecapital。Theyarepaidoutinwages。Thelabourersintheirturnpaythemoutinthepurchaseofmeansofsubsistence,consumingmeansofsubsistenceworth£;500。Aquantityofcommoditiesofthatvalueisthereforeannihilated;whatthelabourermaysaveupinmoney,etc。,isnotcapitaleither。Asfarasconcernsthelabourer,thisquantityofcommoditieshasbeenconsumedunproductively,exceptinasmuchasitpreservestheefficacyofhislabour-power,aninstrumentindispensabletothecapitalist。
Inthesecondplacehoweverthese£;500havebeentransformed,forthecapitalist,intolabour-powerofthesamevalueorprice。Labour-powerisconsumedbyhimproductivelyinthelabour-process。Attheendof5
weeksaproductvaluedat£;1,000hasbeencreated。Halfofthis,£;500,isthereproducedvalueofthevariablecapitalexpendedinpaymentoflabour-power。Theotherhalf,£;500,isnewlyproducedsurplus-value。Butthe5-weeklylabour-power,throughexchangeforwhichaportionofthecapitalwasconvertedintovariablecapital,islikewiseexpended,consumed,althoughproductively。Thelabourwhichwasactiveyesterdayisnotthesamethatisactivetoday。Itsvalueplusthatofsurplus-valuecreatedbyitexistsnowasthevalueofathingdistinctfromlabour-power,towit,ofaproduct。Butbyconvertingtheproductintomoney,thatportionofitsvaluewhichisequaltothevalueofvariablecapitaladvancedcanoncemorebeexchangedforlabour-powerandthusagainfunctionasvariablecapital。Thefactthatthesameworkmen,i。e。,thesamebearersoflabour-power,aregivenemploymentnotonlybythereproducedcapital-valuebutalsobythatwhichhasbeenreconvertedintotheformisimmaterial。Itispossibleforthecapitalisttohiredifferentworkmenforthesecondperiodofturnover。
Inactualfactthereforeacapitalof£;5,000,andnotof£;500,isexpendedsuccessivelyinwagesduringthetenperiodsofturnoverof5weekseach,andthesewageswillagainbespentbythelabourerstobuymeansofsubsistence。Thecapitalof£;5,000soadvancedisconsumed。Itceasestoexist。Ontheotherhandlabour-powerworth£;5,000,not£;500,isincorporatedsuccessivelyintheproductiveprocessandreproducesnotonlyitsownvalueof£;5,000,butproducesoverandabovethatasurplus-valueof£;5,000。Thevariablecapitalof£;500advancedduringthesecondperiodofturnoverisnottheidenticalcapitalof£;500thathadbeenadvancedduringthefirstperiodofturnover。Thathasbeenconsumed,spentinwages。Butitisreplacedbynewvariablecapitalof£;500,whichwasproducedinthefirstperiodofturnoverintheformofcommodities,andreconvertedintomoney。
Thisnewmoney-capitalof£;500isthereforethemoney-formofthequantityofcommoditiesnewlyproducedinthefirstperiodofturnover。
Thefactthatanidenticalsumofmoney,£;500,isagaininthehandsofthecapitalist,i。e。,apartfromthesurplus-value,preciselyasmuchmoney-capitalashehadoriginallyadvanced,concealsthecircumstancethatheisoperatingwithnewlyproducedcapital。Asfortheotherconstituentsofvalueofthecommodity-capital,whichreplacetheconstantpartsofcapital,theirvalueisnotnewlyproduced,butonlytheformischangedinwhichthisvalueexists。
Letustakethethirdperiodofturnover。Hereitisevidentthatthecapitalof£;500,advancedforathirdtime,isnotanoldbutanewlyproducedcapital,foritisthemoney-formofthequantityofcommoditiesproducedinthesecond,notthefirst,periodofturnover,i。e。,ofthatportionofthisquantityofcommoditieswhosevalueisequaltothatoftheadvancedvariablecapital。Thequantityofcommoditiesproducedinthefirstperiodofturnoverissold。Apartofitsvalueequaltothevariableportionofthevalueoftheadvancedcapitalwastransformedintothenewlabour-powerofthesecondperiodofturnover;itproducedanewquantityofcommodities,whichweresoldintheirturnandaportionofwhosevalueconstitutesthecapitalof£;500advancedinthethirdturnoverperiod。
Andsoforthduringthetenperiodsofturnover。Inthecourseofthese,newlyproducedquantitiesofcommoditieswhosevalue,inasmuchasitreplacesvariablecapital,isalsonewlyproduced,anddoesnotmerelyre-appearasinthecaseoftheconstantcirculatingpartofthecapital
arethrownuponthemarketevery5weeks,inordertoincorporateevernewlabour-powerintheprocessofproduction。
Thereforewhatisaccomplishedbytheten-foldturnoveroftheadvancedvariablecapitalof£;500isnotthatthiscapitalof£;500
canbeproductivelyconsumedtentimes,orthatavariablecapitallastingfor5weekscanbeemployedfor50weeks。Rather,tentimes£;500
ofvariablecapitalisemployedinthe50weeks,andthecapitalof£;500
alwayslastsonlyfor5weeksandmustbereplacedattheendofthe5
weeksbyanewlyproducedcapitalof£;500。ThisappliesequallytocapitalsAandB。Butatthispointthedifferencebegins。
Attheendofthefirstperiodof5weeksavariablecapitalof£;500hasbeenadvancedandexpendedbyBaswellasA。BothAandBhaveconverteditsvalueintolabour-powerandreplaceditbythatportionofthevalueoftheproductnewlycreatedbythislabour-powerwhichisequaltothevalueoftheadvancedvariablecapitalof£;500。ForbothBandAthelabour-powerhasnotonlyreplacedthevalueoftheexpendedvariablecapitalof£;500byanewvalueofthesameamount,butalsoaddedasurplus-valuewhich,accordingtoourassumption,isofthesamemagnitude。
ButinthecaseofBthevalue-product,whichreplacestheadvancedvariablecapitalandaddstoitasurplus-value,isnotintheforminwhichitcanfunctionanewasproductive,orvariable,capital。ItisinsuchaforminthecaseofA。AnduptotheendoftheyearBdoesnotpossessthevariablecapitalexpendedinthefirst5andeverysubsequent5weeksalthoughithasbeenreplacedbynewlyproducedvalueplussurplus-value
intheforminwhichitcanagainfunctionasproductive,orvariable,capital。True,itsvalueisreplacedbynewvalue,hencerenewed,buttheformofitsvalueinthiscasetheabsoluteformofvalue,itsmoney-formisnotrenewed。
Forthesecondperiodof5weeksandthusforeverysucceeding5weeksoftheyearanother£;500mustagainbeavailable,thesameasforthefirstperiod。Hence,regardlessofcreditconditions,£;5,000
mustbeavailableatthebeginningoftheyearasalatentadvancedmoney-capital,althoughtheyarereallyexpended,turnedintolabour-power,onlygradually,inthecourseoftheyear。
ButbecauseinthecaseofAthecircuit,theturnoveroftheadvancedcapital,isconsummated,thereplacementvalueafterthelapseofthefirst5weeksisalreadyintheforminwhichitcansetnewlabour-powerinmotionforatermof5weeks——initsoriginalform,themoney-form。
IncasesofbothAandBnewlabour-powerisconsumedinthesecond5-weekperiodandanewcapitalof£;500isspentinpaymentofthislabour-power。Themeansofsubsistenceofthelabourers,paidwiththefirst£;500,aregone;atalleventstheirvaluehasvanishedfromthehandsofthecapitalist。Withthesecond£;500newlabour-powerisbought,newmeansofsubsistencewithdrawnfromthemarket。Inshort,itisanewcapitalof£;500thatisbeingexpended,nottheold。
ButinthecaseofAthisnewcapitalof£;500isthemoney-formofthenewlyproducedsubstituteforthevalueoftheformerlyexpended£;500,whileinthecaseofB,thissubstituteisinaforminwhichitcannotfunctionasvariablecapital。Itisthere,butnotintheformofvariablecapital。Forthecontinuationoftheprocessofproductionforthenext5weeksanadditionalcapitalof£;500mustthereforebeavailableandadvancedintheherindispensableformofmoney。Thus,during50weeks,bothAandBexpendanequalamountofvariablecapital,payforandconsumeanequalquantityoflabour-power。Only,Bmustpayforitwithanadvancedcapitalequaltoitstotalvalueof£;5,000,whileApaysforitsuccessivelywiththeeverrenewedmoney-formofthevalue-substitute,producedevery5weeks,forthecapitalof£;500advancedforevery5weeks,i。e。,nevermorethanthatadvancedforthefirst5weeks,viz。,£;500。
These£;500lastfortheentireyear。Itisthereforeclearthat,thedegreeofexploitationoflabourandtherealrateofsurplus-valuebeingthesame,theannualratesofsurplus-valueofAandBmustbeinverselyproportionaltothemagnitudesofthevariablemoney-capitalswhichhavetobeadvancedinordertosetinmotionthesameamountoflabour-powerduringtheyear。
A:5,000s/500v=1,000%;B:5,000s/5,000v=100%。But500v:5,000v=1:10=100%:1,000%。Thedifferenceisduetothedifferenceintheperiodsofturnover,i。e。,theperiodsinwhichthevalue-substituteofthevariablecapitalemployedforadefinitetimecanfunctionanewascapital,henceasnewcapital。
InthecaseofBaswellasA,thereisthesamereplacementofvalueforthevariablecapitalemployedduringthesameperiods。Thereisalsothesameincrementofsurplus-valueduringthesameperiods。ButinthecaseofB,whileevery5weeksthereisareplacementofthevalueof£;500
andasurplus-valueof£;500,thisvalue-substitutedoesnotconstitutenewcapital,becauseitdoesnotexistintheformofmoney。InthecaseofAtheoldcapital-valueisnotonlyreplacedbyanewone,butisrehabilitatedinitsmoney-form,hencereplacedasanewcapitalcapableofperformingitsfunction。
Theconversion,soonerorlater,ofthevalue-substituteintomoney,andthusintotheforminwhichvariablecapitalisadvanced,isobviouslyanimmaterialcircumstance,sofarastheproductionofsurplus-valueitselfisconcerned。Thisproductiondependsonthemagnitudeofvariablecapitalemployedandthedegreeofexploitationoflabour。Butthatcircumstancemodifiesthemagnitudeofthemoney-capitalwhichmustbeadvancedinordertosetadefinitequantumoflabour-powerinmotionduringtheyear,andthereforeitdeterminestheannualrateofsurplus-value。
III。THETURNOVEROFTHEVARIABLECAPITALFROMTHESOCIALPOINTOFVIEW
Letuslookatthismatterforamomentfromthepointofviewofsociety。
Letthewagesofonelabourerbe£;1perweek,theworking-day10
hours。IncaseofAaswellasB100labourersareemployedduringayear£;100for100labourersperweek,or£;500for5weeks,or£;5,000
for50weeks,andeachoneofthemworks60hoursperweekof6days。
So100labourerswork6,000hoursperweekand300,000hoursin50weeks。
Thislabour-poweristakenholdofbyAandBandthereforecannotbeexpendedbysocietyforanythingelse。TothisextentthematteristhesamesociallywithbothAandB。Furthermore:InthecasesofbothAandBthe100labourersemployedbyeithersidereceiveayearlywageof£;5,000or,togetherforthe200labourers,£;10,000andwithdrawfromsocietymeansofsubsistencetothatamount。SofarthematteristhereforesociallythesameinthecaseofbothAandB。Sincethelabourersineithercasearepaidbytheweek,theyweeklywithdrawtheirmeansofsubsistencefromsocietyand,ineithercase,throwaweeklyequivalentinmoneyintocirculation。
Butherethedifferencebegins。
First。ThemoneywhichtheAlabourerthrowsintocirculationisnotonly,asitisfortheBlabourer,themoney-formofthevalueofhislabour-powerinfactameansofpaymentforlabouralreadyperformed;
itis,countingfromthesecondturnoverperiodaftertheopeningofthebusiness,themoney-formofhisownvalueequaltothepriceofthelabour-powerplusthesurplus-valuecreatedduringthefirstperiodofturnover,bywhichhislabourispaidduringthesecondperiodofturnover。
第11章