首页 >出版文学> Capital-3>第23章

第23章

  Iftheaboveresult——thesatisfactionofthedemandwithAexcluded——hadbeenaccomplished,perchance,bytheinvestmentofmorethandoublethecapitalinCorD,orinboth,thenthematterwouldassumeadifferentaspect。Forexample,ifthethirdinvestmentofcapitalweremadeinC:
  TABLEIVaTypeofsoilAcresCapital£;Profit£;PriceofProd。£;OutputQrsSellingprice£;Proceeds£;RentRateofSurplusProfitInGrainQrsInMoney£;
  B1516411/26000%
  C171/211/29911/2131/2341/260%
  D1516811/21246120%*
  Total3171/231/22121311/27101/2Inthiscase,comparedwithTableIV,theoutputfromChasrisenfrom6to9qrs,thesurplus-productfrom2to3qrs,andthemoney-rentfrom£;3to£;41/2。ComparedwithTableII,wherethelatterwas£;12,andTableI,whereitwas£;6,themoney-renthas,ontheotherhand,decreased。Thetotalrentalingrain=7qrsandhasfallencomparedwithTableII12qrsandrisencomparedwithTableI6qrs;inmoney£;101/2ithasfallencomparedwithboth£;18and£;36。
  Ifthethirdinvestmentofcapitalof£;21/2hadbeenemployedonsoilB,itwouldindeedhavealteredthequantityofproduction,butwouldnothaveaffectedtherent,since,accordingtoourassumption,thesuccessiveinvestmentsdonotproduceanydifferencesuponthesamesoilandsoilBdoesnotyieldanyrent。
  Ifweassume,ontheotherhand,thatthethirdinvestmentofcapitaltakesplaceuponDinsteadofC,wehavethefollowing,TableIVb:
  TypeofsoilAcresCapital£;Profit£;PriceofProd。£;OutputQrsSellingprice£;Proceeds£;RentRateofSurplusProfitInGrainQrInMoney£;
  B1516411/26000%
  C1516611/292360%
  D171/211/291211/21869120%*
  Total3171/231/2212233812Herethetotalproductis22qrs,morethandoublethatofTableI,althoughtheinvestedcapitalisonly£;171/2asagainst£;10,thatis,nottwicetheamount。Thetotalproductisalsolargerby2qrsthanthatofTableII,althoughtheinvestedcapitalinthelatterislarger——namely,£;20。
  ComparedwithTableI,therentingrainfromsoilDhasincreasedfrom3[IntheGerman1894editionthisreads:2。朎d。]to6qrs,whereasthemoney-rent,£;9,hasremainedthesame。ComparedwithTableII,thegrain-rentfromDisthesame,namely,6qrs,butthemoney-renthasfallenfrom£;18to£;9。
  Comparingthetotalrents,thegrain-rentfromTableIVb=8qrsislargerthanthatfromTableI=6qrsandthanthatfromTableIVa=7
  qrs;butitissmallerthanthatfromTable11=12qrs。Themoney-rentfromTableIVb=£;12islargerthanthatfromTableIVa=£;101/2andsmallerthanthatfromTable1=£;18andthatfromTableII=
  £;36。
  Inorderthatthetotalrentalmay,undertheconditionsofTableIVbwiththeeliminationofrentfromB,beequaltothatofTableI,weneed£;6moreofsurplus-product,thatis,4qrsat£;11/2,whichisthenewpriceofproduction。Wethenhaveatotalrentalof£;18
  againasinTableI。ThemagnitudeoftherequiredadditionalcapitalwillvaryaccordingtowhetherweinvestitinCorD,ordivideitbetweenthetwo。
  OnC,£;5capitalyields2qrsofsurplus-product;consequently,£;10additionalcapitalyields4qrsofadditionalsurplus-product。
  OnD,£;5additionalcapitalwouldsufficetoproduce4qrsofadditionalgrain-rentundertheconditionsassumedhere,namelythattheproductivityoftheadditionalinvestmentsofcapitalremainsthesame。Weshouldthenobtainthefollowingresults:
  TABLEIVcTypeofsoilAcresCapital£;Proft£;PriceofProd。£;OutputQrsSellingprice£;Proceeds£;RentRateofSurplusProfitQrs£;
  B1516411/26000%
  C1153181811/2276960%
  D171/211/291211/21869120%*
  Total3271/251/23334511218TABLEIVdTypeofsoilAcresCapital£;Proft£;PriceofProd。£;OutputQrsSellingprice£;Proceeds£;RentRateofSurplusProfitQrs£;
  B1516411/26000%
  C1516611/292360%
  D1121/221/2152011/2301015120%*
  Total3221/241/22730451218Thetotalmoneyrentalwouldbeexactlyone-halfofwhatitwasinTableII,wheretheadditionalcapitalswereinvestedatconstantpricesofproduction。
  ThemostimportantthingistocomparetheabovetableswithTableI。
  Wefindthatwhilethepriceofproductionhasfallenbyone-half,i。e。,from60shillingsto30shillingsperquarter,thetotalmoneyrentalhasremainedthesame,namely=£;18,andthegrain-renthascorrespondinglydoubledfrom6to12qrs。UponBtherenthasdisappeared;uponCthemoney-renthasrisenbyone-halfinlVc,buthasfallenbyone-halfinIVd;uponD
  inIVc,ithasremainedthesame,=£;9,andhasrisenfrom£;9
  to£;15inIVd。Theproductionhasrisenfrom10to34qrsinIVe,andto30qrsinIVd;theprofitfrom£;2to£;51/2inIVcandto£;4inIVd。Thetotalinvestmentofcapitalhasrisenintheonecasefrom£;10to£;271/2,andintheotherfrom£;10to£;221/2;i。e。,inbothcasesithasmorethandoubled。Therateofrent,thatis,therentcalculatedontheinvestedcapital,isinalltablesfromIVtoIVdeverywherethesameforeachkindofsoil——whichwasalreadyimpliedintheassumptionthattherateofproductivityforthetwosuccessiveinvestmentsofcapitalremainsthesameforeachsoiltype。ButcomparedwithTableIthisratehasfallen,bothfortheaverageofallkindsofsoilandforeachoneofthemindividually。InTableIitwas=180%onanaverage,whereasinIVcit=18/271/2x100=
  655/11%andinIVdit=18/221/2
  x100=80%。Theaveragemoney-rentperacrehasrisen。Formerly,inTableI,itsaveragewas£;41/2peracrefromallfouracres,whereasinIVcandIVditis£;6peracreuponthethreeacres。
  Itsaverageupontherent-bearinglandwasformerly£;6,whereasnowitis£;9peracre。Hencethemoney-valueoftherentperacrehasrisenandnowrepresentstwiceasmuchgrainasitdidformerly;butthe12qrsofgrain-rentarenowlessthanone-halfofthetotaloutputof34and30[IntheGerman1894editionthisreads:33and27。?Ed。]
  qrsrespectively,whereasinTableIthe6qrsrepresent3/5ofthetotaloutputof10qrs。Consequently,althoughtherentasanaliquotpartofthetotaloutputhasfallen,andhasalsofallenwhencalculatedontheinvestedcapital,itsmoney-valuecalculatedperacrehasrisen,andstillmoreitsvalueasaproduct。IfwetakesoilDinTablelVd,wefindthatthepriceofproductioncorrespondingtothecapitaloutlayhere=£;15,ofwhich£;121/2isinvestedcapital。Themoney-rent=£;15。InTableI,forthesamesoilD,thepriceofproductionwas=£;3,theinvestedcapital=
  £;21/2,andthemoney-rent=£;9;thatis,thelatterwasthreetimesthepriceofproductionandalmostfourtimesthecapital。InTablelVd,themoney-rentforD,£;15,isexactlyequaltothepriceofproductionandlargerthanthecapitalbyonly1/5。Nevertheless,themoney-rentperacreis2/3larger,namely,£;15insteadof£;9。InTableI,thegrain-rentof3qrs=3/4ofthetotalproductof4qrs;inTableIVditis10qrs,orone-halfthetotalproduct20qrsperacreofD。
  Thisshowsthatthemoney-valueandgrainvalueoftherentperacremayrise,althoughitconstitutesasmalleraliquotpartofthetotalyieldandhasfalleninproportiontotheinvestedcapital。
  ThevalueofthetotalproductinTable1=£;30;therent=£;18,ormorethanone-halfofit。ThevalueofthetotalproductinIVd=£;45,ofwhichtherent=£;18,orlessthanone-half。
  Now,thereasonwhyinspiteofthefallinpriceby£;11/2perquarter,i。e。,afallof50%,andinspiteofthereductionincompetingsoilfrom4to3acres,thetotalmoney-rentremainsthesameandthetotalgrain-rentisdoubled,while,calculatedperacre,boththegrain-rentandmoney-rentrise,isthatmorequartersofsurplus-productareproduced。Thepriceofgrainfallsby50%,andthesurplus-productincreasesby100%。Butinordertoobtainthisresult,thetotalproductionundertheconditionsassumedbyusmustbetrebled,andtheinvestmentofcapitalinthesuperiorsoilsmustbemorethandoubled。Atwhatratethelattermustincreasedependsinthefirstplaceuponthedistributionofadditionalcapitalinvestmentsamongthebetterandbestsoils,alwaysassumingthattheproductivityofthecapitalinvestedineachsoiltypeincreasesproportionatelytoitsmagnitude。
  Ifthefallinpriceofproductionweresmaller,lessadditionalcapitalwouldberequiredtoproducethesamemoney-rent。IfthesupplyrequiredtothrowsoilAoutofcultivation-andthisdependsnotmerelyupontheoutputperacreofA,butalsoupontheshareheldbyAintheentirecultivatedarea——thus,ifthesupplyrequiredforthispurposewerelarger,andtherebyalsotheamountofadditionalinvestedcapitalrequiredinsoilsbetterthanA,then,othercircumstancesremainingthesame,themoneyandgrainrentswouldhaveincreasedstillmore,althoughsoilBwouldhaveceasedyieldingmoneyandgrainrents。IfthecapitaleliminatedfromAhadbeen=£;5,thetablestobecomparedforthiscasewouldbetablesIIandIVd。Thetotalproductwouldhaveincreasedfrom20to30
  qrs。Themoney-rentwouldbeonlyhalfaslarge,or£;48insteadof£;36;thegrain-rentwouldbethesame,namely=12qrs。
  Ifatotalproductof44qrs=£;66couldbeproduceduponDwithacapital=£;271/2——correspondingtotheoldrateforD,4qrsper£;21/2capital——thenthetotalrentalwouldoncemorereachthelevelattainedinTableII,andthetablewouldappearasfollows:
  TypeofSoilCapital£;OutputQrsGrain-RentQrsMoney-Rent£;
  B5400
  C5623
  D271/2442233
  Total371/2542436Thetotalproductionwouldbe54qrsasagainst20qrsinTableII,andthemoney-rentwouldbethesame,=£;36。Butthetotalcapitalwouldbe£;371/2,whereasinTableIIitwas=20。
  Thetotalinvestedcapitalwouldbedoublealmost,whileproductionwouldbenearlytreble;thegrain-rentwouldbedoubleandthemoney-rentwouldremainthesame。Hence,ifthepricefalls-whileproductivityremainsthesame——asaresultoftheinvestmentofadditionalmoney-capitalinthebettersoilswhichyieldrent,thatis,allsoilsbetterthanA,thenthetotalcapitalhasatendencynottoincreaseatthesamerateasproductionandgrain-rent;thustheincreaseingrain-rentmaycompensateforthelossinmoney-rentduetothefallingprice。ThesamelawalsomanifestsitselfinthattheinvestedcapitalmustbeproportionatelylargerasmoreisinvestedinCthanD,i。e。,insoilsyieldinglessrentratherthaninsoilsyieldingmorerent。Thepointissimplythis:inorderthatthemoney-rentmayremainthesameorrise,adefiniteadditionalquantityofsurplus-productmustbeproduced,andthegreaterthefertilityofthesoilsyieldingsurplus-product,thelesscapitalthisrequires。IfthedifferencebetweenBandC,andCandD,werestillgreater,stilllessadditionalcapitalwouldberequired。Thespecificproportionisdeterminedby1theratiooffallinprice,inotherwords,bythedifferencebetweensoilB,whichdoesnotyieldrentnow,andsoilA,whichformerlywasthesoilnotyieldingrent;2theratioofthedifferencesbetweenthesoilsbetterthanBupwards;3theamountofnewlyinvestedadditionalcapital,and4itsdistributionamongthesoilsofvaryingquality。
  Infact,weseethatthislawmerelyexpresseswhatwasalreadyascertainedinthefirstcase:Whenthepriceofproductionisgiven,nomatterwhatitsmagnitude,therentmayincreaseasaresultofadditionalcapitalinvestment。ForowingtotheeliminationofA,wenowhaveanewdifferentialrentIwithBastheworstSoiland£;11/2perquarterasthenewpriceofproduction。ThisappliestoTableIVaswellastoTableII。Itisthesamelaw,exceptthatourpointofdepartureissoilBinsteadofA,andourpriceofproductionistakenas£;11/2insteadof£;3。
  Theimportantthinghereisthis:TotheextentthatsomuchandsomuchadditionalcapitalwasnecessaryinordertowithdrawthecapitalfromsoilAandcreatethesupplywithoutit,wefindthatthismaybeaccompaniedbyanunaltered,rising,orfallingrentperacre,ifnotfromallplotsoflandthenatleastfromsome,andsofarastheaverageofthecultivatedplotsisconcerned。Wehaveseenthatgrain-rentandmoney-rentdonotmaintainauniformrelationtooneanother。Itismerelyduetotraditionthatgrain-rentisstillofanyimportanceineconomics。Onemightdemonstrateequallywellthat,e。g。,amanufacturercanbuymuchmoreofhisyarnwithhisprofitof£;5thanhecouldformerlywithaprofitof£;10。Itshowsatanyrate,thatmessieurslandlords,whentheyaresimultaneouslyownersorshareholdersinmanufacturingestablishments,sugar-refineries,distilleries,etc。,mayintheircapacityasproducersoftheirownrawmaterialsstillmakeaconsiderableprofitwhenthemoney-rentisfalling。[1]
  II。Decreasingrateofproductivityoftheadditionalcapital。
  Thisintroducesnothingnewintotheproblem,insofarasthepriceofproductionmayalsofallinthiscase,asinthecasejustconsidered,onlywhenadditionalinvestmentsofcapitalinbettersoilsthanArendertheoutputfromAsuperfluousandthecapitalisthereforewithdrawnfromA,orAisemployedfortheproductionofotherproducts。Thiscasehasbeenexhaustivelydiscussedabove。Itwasshownthattherentingrainandmoneyperacremayincrease,decrease,orremainunchanged。
  Forconvenienceinmakingcomparisonswereproducethefollowingtable:
  TABLEIV
  TypeofSoilAcresCapital£;Profit£;PriceofProduction。perQrOutputQrsGrain-RentQrsMoney-RentQrsRateofSurplusProfitA121/21/231000
  B121/21/211/2213120%
  C121/21/21326240%
  D121/21/23/4439360%
  Total41010618180%averageNowletusassumethataquantityof16qrssuppliedbyB,C,andDatadecreasingrateofproductivitysufficestoexcludeAfromcultivation。
  Insuchcase,TableIIIistransformedintothefollowing:
  TABLEV
  TypeofSoilAcresInvestmentofCapital£;Profit£;OutputQrsSellingprice£;Proceeds£;Grain-RentQrsMoney-Rent£;RateofSurplusProfitB121/221/21211/2=31/215/76000
  C121/221/2132=515/784/711/224/7513/7%
  D121/221/21431/2=71/215/7126/7466/71371/7%**
  Total3***1516273/751/293/7942/7%average****[*IntheGerman1894editionthisreads512/5——Ed。]
  [**Ibid。1371/5——Ed。]
  [***Ibid。:4——Ed。]
  [****Here,aswellasintablesVI,VII,VIII,IXandXthelandwhichyieldsnorentisleftoutofconsideration——Ed。]
  Here,atadecreasingrateof;productivityoftheadditionalcapital,andavaryingdecreaseforthevarioussoiltypes,theregulatingpriceofproductionhasfallenfrom£;3to£;15/7。
  Theinvestmentofcapitalhasrisenbyone-half-from£;10to£;15。
  Themoney-renthasfallenbyalmostone-half-from£;18to£;93/7,butthegrain-renthasfallenbyonly1/12——from6qrsto51/2qrs。Thetotaloutputhasrisenfrom10to16,orby60%。Thegrain-rentconstitutesalittlemorethanone-thirdofthetotalproduct。Theadvancedcapitalistothemoney-rentas15:93/7,whereasformerlythisratiowas10
  :18。
  III。Risingrateofproductivityoftheadditionalcapital。
  ThisdiffersfromVariantIatthebeginningofthischapter,wherethepriceofproductionfallswhiletherateofproductivityremainsthesame,merelyinthatwhenagivenamountofadditionalproduceisrequiredtoexcludesoilAthisoccursheremorequickly。
  Theeffectmayvaryinaccordancewiththedistributionofinvestmentsamongthevarioussoilsforafalling,aswellasanincreasing,productivityoftheadditionalcapitalinvestments。Insofarasthisvaryingeffectbalancesoutthedifferences,oraccentuatesthem,thedifferentialrentofthebettersoils,andtherebythetotalrentaltoo,willfallorrise,aswasalreadythecaseindifferentialrentI。Inotherrespects,everythingdependsuponthemagnitudeofthelandareaandcapitalexcludedtogetherwithA,andupontherelativemagnitudeofadvancedcapitalrequiredwitharisingproductivityinordertoproducetheadditionaloutputtomeetthedemand。
  Theonlypointworthwhileanalysinghere,andwhichreallytakesusbacktotheinvestigationofthewayinwhichthisdifferentialprofitistransformedintodifferentialrent,isthefollowing:
  Inthefirstcase,wherethepriceofproductionremainsthesametheadditionalcapitalwhichmaybeinvestedinsoilAdoesnotaffectthedifferentialrentassuch,sincesoilA,asbefore,doesnotyieldanyrent,thepriceofitsproduceremainsthesame,anditcontinuestoregulatethemarket。
  Inthesecondcase,VariantI,wherethepriceofproductionfallswhiletherateofproductivityremainsthesame,soilAwillnecessarilybeexcluded,andstillmoresoinVariantIIfallingpriceofproductionwithfallingrateofproductivity,sinceotherwisetheadditionalcapitalinvestedinsoilAwouldhavehadtoraisethepriceofproduction。Buthere,inVariantIIIofthesecondcase,wherethepriceofproductionfallsbecausetheproductivityoftheadditionalcapitalrises,thisadditionalcapitalmayundercertaincircumstancesbeinvestedinsoilAaswellasinthebettersoils。
  LetusassumethatwheninvestedinsoilAanadditionalcapitalof£;21/2produces11/5qrsinsteadof1qr。
  TABLEVI
  TypeofSoilAcresCapital£;Profit£;PriceofProduction£;OutputQrsSellingprice£;Proceeds£;RentRateofSurplusProfitQrs£;
  A121/221/216111/5=21/528/116000%
  B121/221/216222/5=42/528/111221/56120%
  C121/221/216333/5=63/528/111842/512240%
  D121/221/216444/5=84/528/112463/518360%
  4204242260131/536240%AsidefrombeingcomparedwiththebasicTableI,thistableshouldbecomparedwithTableII,whereatwo-foldinvestmentofcapitalisassociatedwithaconstantproductivity,proportionaltotheinvestmentofcapital。
  Inaccordancewithourassumption,theregulatingpriceofproductionfalls。Ifitweretoremainconstant,=£;3,thentheworstsoilA,whichusedtoyieldnorentwithaninvestmentofonly£;21/2,wouldnowyieldrentwithoutworsesoilbeingbroughtundercultivation。
  Thiswouldhaveoccurredduetoanincreaseintheproductivityofthissoil,butonlyforapartofthecapital,notfortheoriginalcapitalinvested。Thefirst£;3ofproductionpriceyield1qr;thesecondyield11/5qrs;buttheentireoutputof21/5qrsisnowsoldatitsaverageprice。Sincetherateofproductivityincreaseswiththeadditionalinvestmentofcapital,thispresupposesanimprovement。
  Thelattermayconsistofageneralincreaseincapitalinvestedperacremorefertiliser,moremechanisedlabour,etc。,oritmaybethatonlythroughthisadditionalcapitalitisatallpossibletobringaboutaqualitativelydifferentmoreproductiveinvestmentofthecapital。Inbothcases,theinvestmentof£;5ofcapitalperacreyieldsanoutputof21/5qrs,whereastheinvestmentofone-halfofthiscapital,i。e。,£;21/5,yieldsonly1qrofproduce。TheproducefromsoilAcould,regardlessoftransientmarketconditions,onlycontinuetobesoldatahigherpriceofproductioninsteadofatthenewaverageprice,aslongasaconsiderableareaoftypeAsoilcontinuedtobecultivatedwithacapitalofonly£;21/2peracre。Butassoonasthenewrelationof£;5ofcapitalperacre,andtherebytheimprovedmanagement,becomesuniversal,theregulatingpriceofproductionwouldhavetofallto£;28/11。Thedifferencebetweenthetwoportionsofcapitalwoulddisappear,andthen,infact,thecultivationofanacreofsoilAwithacapitalofonly£;21/2wouldbeabnormal,i。e。,wouldnotcorrespondtothenewconditionsofproduction。Itwouldthennolongerbeadifferencebetweentheyieldsfromdifferentportionsofcapitalinvestedinthesameacre,butbetweenasufficientandaninsufficienttotalinvestmentofcapitalperacre。Thisshows,firstofall,thatinsufficientcapitalinthehandsofalargenumberoftenantfarmersitmustbealargenumber,forasmallnumberwouldsimplybecompelledtosellbelowtheirpriceofproductionproducesthesameeffectasadifferentiationofthesoilsthemselvesinadescendingline。Theinferiorcultivationofinferiorsoilincreasestherentfromsuperiorsoils;itmayevenleadtorentbeingyieldedfrombettercultivatedsoilofequallypoorquality,whichwouldotherwisenotbeyielded。Itshows,secondly,thatdifferentialrent,insofarasitarisesfromsuccessiveinvestmentsofcapitalinthesametotalarea,resolvesitselfinrealityintoanaverage,inwhichtheeffectsofthevariousinvestmentsofcapitalarenolongerrecognisableanddistinguishable,andthereforedonotresultinrentbeingyieldedfromtheworstsoil,butrather:1maketheaveragepriceofthetotalyieldfor,say,anacreofA,thenewregulatingpriceand2appearasalterationinthetotalquantityofcapitalperacrerequiredunderthenewconditionsfortheadequatecultivationofthesoil;andinwhichtheindividualsuccessiveinvestmentsofcapital,aswellastheirrespectiveeffects,willappearindistinguishablyblendedtogether。Itisexactlythesamewiththeindividualdifferentialrentsfromthesuperiorsoils。
  Ineachcase,theyaredeterminedbythedifferencebetweentheaverageoutputfromthesoilinquestionandtheoutputfromtheworstsoilattheincreasedcapitalinvestment——whichhasnowbecomenormal。
  Nosoilyieldsanyproducewithoutaninvestmentofcapital。Thisisthecaseevenforsimpledifferentialrent,differentialrentI;whenitissaidthatoneacreofsoilA,whichregulatesthepriceofproduction,yieldssomuchandsomuchproduceatsuchandsuchaprice,andthatsuperiorsoilsB,CandDyieldsomuchdifferentialproduce,andthereforesomuchandsomuchmoney-rentattheregulatingpriceofproduction,itisalwaysassumedthatadefiniteamountofcapitalisinvestedwhich,undertheprevailingconditionsofproduction,isconsiderednormal。Inthesameway,acertainminimumcapitalisrequiredforeveryindividualbranchofindustryinorderthatthecommoditiesmaybeproducedattheirpriceofproduction。
  Ifthisminimumisalteredasaresultofsuccessiveinvestmentsofcapitalassociatedwithimprovementsonthesamesoil,itoccursgradually。
  Solongasacertainnumberofacres,say,ofA,donotreceivethisadditionalworkingcapital,arentisproduceduponthebettercultivatedacresofAduetotheunalteredpriceofproduction,andtherentfromallsuperiorsoils,B,CandD,isincreased。Butassoonasthenewmethodofcultivationhasbecomegeneralenoughtobethenormalone,thepriceofproductionfalls;therentfromthesuperiorplotsdeclinesagain,andthatportionofsoilAthatdoesnotpossesstheworkingcapital,whichhasnowbecometheaverage,mustsellitsproducebelowitsindividualpriceofproduction,i。e。,belowtheaverageprofit。
  Inthecaseofafallingpriceofproduction,thisalsooccursevenwithdecreasingproductivityoftheadditionalcapital——assoonastherequiredtotalproductissupplied,inconsequenceofincreasedinvestmentofcapital,bythesuperiorsoils,andthus,e。g。,theworkingcapitaliswithdrawnfromA,i。e。,Anolongercompetesintheproductionofthisparticularproduct,e。g。,wheat。Thequantityofcapitalwhichisnowrequired,onanaverage,tobeinvestedinthebettersoilB,thenewregulator,nowbecomesnormal:andwhenonespeaksofthevaryingfertilityofplotsofland,itisassumedthatthisnewnormalquantityofcapitalperacreisemployed。
  Ontheotherhand,itisevidentthatthisaverageinvestmentofcapital,say,inEngland,of£;8peracrepriorto1848,and£;12subsequenttothatyear,willconstitutethestandardinconcludingleases。Forthefarmerexpendingmorethanthis,thesurplus-profitisnottransformedintorentforthedurationofthecontract。Whetherthistakesplaceafterexpirationofthecontractornotwilldependuponthecompetitionamongthefarmerswhoareinapositiontomakethesameextracapitaladvance。
  Wearenotreferringheretosuchpermanentsoilimprovementsthatcontinuetoprovidetheincreasedoutputwiththesameorevenwithadecreasingoutlayofcapital。Suchimprovements,althoughproductsofcapital,havethesameeffectasnaturaldifferencesinthequalityoftheland。
  Wesee,then,thatafactorcomesintoconsiderationinthecaseofdifferentialrentIIwhichdoesnotappearinthecaseofdifferentialrentIassuch,sincethelattercancontinuetoexistindependentlyofanychangeinthenormalinvestmentofcapitalperacre。Itis,ontheonehand,theblurringofresultsfromvariousinvestments,ofcapitalinregulatingsoilA,whoseoutputflowsimplyappearsasanormalaverageoutputperacre。Itis,ontheotherhand,thechangeinthenormalminimum,orintheaveragemagnitudeofinvestedcapitalperacre,sothatthischangeappearsasapropertyofthesoil。Itis,finally,thedifferenceinthemanneroftransformingsurplus-profitintotheformofrent。
  TableVIshows,furthermore,comparedwithtablesIandII,thatthegrain-renthasmorethandoubledinrelationtoI,andhasincreasedby11/5qrsinrelationtoII;whilethemoney-renthasdoubledinrelationtoI,buthasnotchangedinrelationtoII。Itwouldhaveincreasedconsiderablyifotherconditionsremainingthesame
  moreoftheadditionalcapitalhadbeenallocatedtothesuperiorsoils,orifontheotherbandtheeffectoftheadditionalcapitalonAhadbeenlessappreciable,andthustheregulatingaveragepriceperquarterfromAhadbeenhigher。
  Iftheincreaseinproductivenessbymeansofadditionalcapitalshouldproducevaryingresultsforthevarioussoils,thiswouldproduceachangeintheirdifferentialrents。
  Inanycase,ithasbeenshownthattherentperacre,forinstancewithadoubledinvestmentofcapital,maynotonlydouble,butmaymorethandouble——whilethepriceofproductionfallsinconsequenceofanincreasedrateofproductivityoftheadditionalcapitalinvested,i。e。,whenthisproductivitygrowsatahigherratethantheadvancedcapital。
  ButitmayalsofallifthepriceofproductionshouldfallmuchlowerasaresultofamorerapidincreaseinproductivenessofsoilA。
  Letusassumethattheadditionalinvestmentsofcapital,forinstanceinBandC,donotincreasetheproductivityatthesamerateastheydoforA,sothattheproportionaldifferencesdecreaseforBandCandtheincreaseinoutputdoesnotmakeupforthefallinprice。Then,comparedwithTableII,the[money]rentfromDwouldremainunchanged,andthatfromBandCwouldfall。
  TABLEVIaTypeofSoilAcresCapital£;Profit£;OutputPerAcreQrsSellingpriceProceeds£;Grain-RentQrsMoney-RentQrsA121/221/2113=411/2600
  B121/221/21221/2=41/211/263/41/23/4
  C121/221/2135=811/21246
  D121/221/21412=1611/2241218
  Total420321/2161/2243/4Finally,themoney-rentwouldriseifmoreadditionalcapitalwereinvestedinthesuperiorsoilswiththesameproportionalincreaseinproductivenessthaninA,oriftheadditionalinvestmentsofcapitalinthesuperiorsoilswereeffectiveatanincreasingrateofproductivity。Inbothcasesthedifferenceswouldincrease。
  Themoney-rentfallswhentheimprovementduetoadditionalinvestmentofcapitalreducesthedifferencescompletely,orinpart,andaffectsAmorethanBandC。Thesmallertheincreaseinproductivityofthesuperiorsoils,themoreitfalls。Itdependsupontheextentofinequalityproduced,whetherthegrain-rentshallrise,fallorremainstationary。
  Themoney-rentrises,andsimilarlythegrain-rent,eitherwhen——theproportionaldifferenceinadditionalfertilityofthevarioussoilsremainingunaltered——morecapitalisinvestedintherent-bearingsoilsthaninrentlesssoilA,andmoreinsoilsyieldinghigherrentthaninthoseyieldinglowerrents;orwhenthefertility——theadditionalcapitalremainingequal——increasesmoreonthebetterandbestsoilsthanonA,i。e。,themoneyandgrainrentsriseinproportiontothisincreaseinfertilityofthebettersoilsabovethatofthepoorerones。
  Butunderallcircumstances,thereisarelativeriseinrentwhenincreasedproductivepoweristheresultofanadditionofcapital,andnotmerelytheresultofincreasedfertilitywithunalteredinvestmentofcapital。
  Thisistheabsolutepointofview,whichshowsthathere,asinallformercases,therentandincreasedrentperacreasinthecaseofdifferentialrentIontheentirecultivatedarea——themagnitudeoftheaveragerental
  aretheresultofanincreasedinvestmentofCapitalinland,nomatterwhetherthiscapitalfunctionswithaconstantrateofproductivityatconstantordecreasingpricesorwithadecreasingrateofproductivityatconstantorfallingprices,orwithanincreasingrateofproductivityatfallingprices。Forourassumption:constantpriceswithaconstant,falling,orrisingrateofproductivityoftheadditionalcapital,andfallingpriceswithaconstant,falling,orrisingrateofproductivity,resolvesitselfinto:aconstantrateofproductivityoftheadditionalcapitalatconstantorfallingprices,afallingrateofproductivityatconstantorfallingprices,andarisingrateofproductivityatconstantandfallingprices。Althoughtherentmayremainstationary,ormayfall,inallthesecases,itwouldfallmoreiftheadditionalinvestmentofcapital,othercircumstancesremainingthesame,werenotaprerequisitefortheincreasedproductiveness。Theadditionalcapital,then,isalwaysthecausefortherelativelyhighrent,althoughabsolutelyitmayhavedecreased。
  Footnotes[1]TheabovetablesIVatoIVdhadtoberecalculatedduetoanerrorincomputationwhichranthroughallofthem。Whilethisdidnotaffectthetheoreticalconclusionsdrawnfromthesetables,itintroduced,inpart,quitemonstrousnumericalvaluesforproductionperacre。Eventhesearenotobjectionableinprinciple。Forallreliefandtopographicalmapsitiscustomarytochooseamuchlargerscalefortheverticalthanforthehorizontal。Nevertheless,shouldanyonefeelthathisagrarianfeelingshavebeeninjuredthereby,heisatlibertytomultiplythenumberofacresbyanynumericalvaluethatwillsatisfyhim。Onemightalsochoose10,12,14,16bushels8
  bushels=1quarterperacreinTable1insteadof1,2,3,4quarters,andthederivednumericalvaluesintheothertableswouldremainwithinthelimitsofprobability;itwillbefoundthattheresult,i。e。,theratioofrentincreasetocapitalincrease,isexactlythesame。Thishasbeendoneinthetablesincludedbytheeditorinthenextchapter。?F。
  E。
  Capital,Vol。3,Chapter47KarlMarxCAPITALVol。III
  THEPROCESSOF
  CAPITALISTPRODUCTIONASAWHOLEPartVI
  TRANSFORMATIONOFSURPLUS-PROFIT
  INTOGROUNDRENTCHAPTER47
  GenesisofCapitalistGround-RentI。INTRODUCTORYREMARKS
  Wemustclarifyinourmindswhereinliestherealdifficultyinanalysingground-rentfromtheviewpointofmoderneconomics,asthetheoreticalexpressionofthecapitalistmodeofproduction。Evenmanyofthemoremodernwritershavenotasyetgraspedthis,asevidencedbyeachrenewedattemptto”newly”explainground-rent。Thenoveltyalmostinvariablyconsistsinarelapseintolongout-of-dateviews。Thedifficultyisnottoexplainthesurplus-productproducedbyagriculturalcapitalanditscorrespondingsurplus-valueingeneral。Thisquestionissolvedintheanalysisofthesurplus-valueproducedbyallproductivecapital,inwhateversphereitmaybeinvested。Thedifficultyconsistsratherinshowingthesourceoftheexcessofsurplus-valuepaidthelandlordbycapitalinvestedinlandintheformofrent,afterequalisationofthesurplus-valuetotheaverageprofitamongthevariouscapitals,afterthevariouscapitalshavesharedinthetotalsurplus-valueproducedbythesocialcapitalinallspheresofproductioninproportiontotheirrelativesize;inotherwords,thesourcesubsequenttothisequalisationandtheapparentlyalreadycompleteddistributionofallsurplus-valuewhich,ingeneral,istobedistributed。
  Quiteapartfromthepracticalmotives,whichproddedmoderneconomistsasspokesmenofindustrialcapitalagainstlandedpropertytoinvestigatethisquestion——motiveswhichweshallpointoutmoreclearlyinthechapteronhistoryofground-rent——thequestionwasofparamountinteresttothemastheorists。Toadmitthattheappearanceofrentforcapitalinvestedinagricultureisduetosomeparticulareffectproducedbythesphereofinvestmentitself,duetosingularqualitiesoftheearth抯crustitself,istantamounttogivinguptheconceptionofvalueassuch,thustantamounttoabandoningallattemptsatascientificunderstandingofthisfield。
  Eventhesimpleobservationthatrentispaidoutofthepriceofagriculturalproduce——whichtakesplaceevenwhererentispaidinkindifthefarmeristorecoverhispriceofproduction——showedtheabsurdityofattemptingtoexplaintheexcessofthispriceovertheordinarypriceofproduction;
  inotherwords,toexplaintherelativedearnessofagriculturalproductsonthebasisoftheexcessofnaturalproductivityofagriculturalproductionovertheproductivityofotherlinesofproduction。Forthereverseistrue:themoreproductivelabouris,thecheaperiseveryaliquotpartofitsproduct,becausesomuchgreateristhemassofuse-valuesincorporatingthesamequantityoflabour,i。e。,thesamevalue。
  Thewholedifficultyinanalysingrent,therefore,consistsinexplainingtheexcessofagriculturalprofitovertheaverageprofit,notthesurplus-value,buttheexcessofsurplus-valuecharacteristicofthissphereofproduction;
  inotherwords,notthe”netproduct”,buttheexcessofthisnetproductoverthenetproductofotherbranchesofindustry。Theaverageprofititselfisaproductformedunderverydefinitehistoricalproductionrelationsbythemovementofsocialprocesses,aproductwhich,aswehaveseen,requiresverycomplexadjustment。Tobeabletospeakatallofasurplusovertheaverageprofit,thisaverageprofititselfmustalreadybeestablishedasastandardandasaregulatorofproductioningeneralasisthecaseundercapitalistproduction。Forthisreasontherecanbenotalkofrentinthemodernsense,arentconsistingofasurplusovertheaverageprofit,i。e。,overandabovetheproportionalshareofeachindividualcapitalinthesurplus-valueproducedbythetotalsocialcapital,insocialformationswhereitisnotcapitalwhichperformsthefunctionofenforcingallsurplus-labourandappropriatingdirectlyallsurplus-value。Andwherethereforecapitalhasnotyetcompletely,oronlysporadically,broughtsociallabourunderitscontrol。Itreflectsnaï;veté;,e。g。,ofapersonlikePassyseebelow,whenhespeaksofrentinprimitivesocietyasasurplusoverprofit[Passy,Rentedusol。In:Dictionnairedel?eacute;conomiepolitique,TomeII。Paris,1854,p。511——Ed。]——
  ahistoricallydefinedsocialformofsurplus-value,butwhich,accordingtoPassy,mightalmostaswellexistwithoutanysociety。
  Fortheoldereconomists,whoingeneralmerelybeginanalysingthecapitalistmodeofproduction,stillundevelopedintheirday,theanalysisofrentofferseithernodifficultyatall,oronlyadifficultyofacompletelydifferentkind。Petty,Cantillon,andingeneralthosewriterswhoareclosertofeudaltimes,assumeground-renttobethenormalformofsurplus-valueingeneral,[[Petty]ATreatiseonTaxesandContributions,London,1667,pp。23-24;[RichardCantillon]Essaisurlanatureducommerceengé;neral,Amsterdam,1756——Ed。]whereasprofittothemisstillamorphouslycombinedwithwages,oratbestappearstobeaportionofsurplus-valueextortedbythecapitalistfromthelandlord。
  Thesewritersthustakeastheirpointofdepartureasituationwhere,inthefirstplace,theagriculturalpopulationstillconstitutestheoverwhelmingmajorityofthenation,and,secondly,thelandlordstillappearsasthepersonappropriatingatfirsthandthesurplus-labourofthedirectproducersbyvirtueofhismonopolyoflandedproperty,wherelandedproperty,therefore;
  stillappearsasthemainconditionofproduction。Forthesewritersthequestioncouldnotyetbeposed,which,inversely,seekstoinvestigatefromtheviewpointofcapitalistproductionhowlandedpropertymanagestowrestbackagainfromcapitalaportionofthesurplus-valueproducedbyitthatis,filchedbyitfromthedirectproducersandalreadyappropriateddirectly。
  Thephysiocratsaretroubledbydifficultiesofanothernature。
  Astheactuallyfirstsystematicspokesmenofcapital,theyattempttoanalysethenatureofsurplus-valueingeneral。Forthem,thisanalysiscoincideswiththeanalysisofrent,theonlyformofsurplus-valuewhichtheyrecognise。Therefore,theyconsiderrent-yielding,oragricultural,capitaltobetheonlycapitalproducingsurplus-value,andtheagriculturallaboursetinmotionbyit,theonlylabourproducingsurplus-value,whichfromacapitalistviewpointisquiteproperlyconsideredtheonlyproductivelabour。Theyarequiterightinconsideringthecreationofsurplus-valueasdecisive。ApartfromothermeritstobesetforthinBookIV,theydeservecreditprimarilyforgoingbackfrommerchant抯capital,whichfunctionssolelyinthesphereofcirculation,toproductivecapital,inoppositiontothemercantilesystem,which,withitscruderealism,constitutestheactualvulgareconomyofthatperiod,pushingintothebackgroundinfavourofitsownpracticalintereststhebeginningsofscientificanalysismadebyPettyandhissuccessors。Inthiscritiqueofthemercantilesystem,incidentally,onlyitsconceptionsofcapitalandsurplus-valuearedealtwith。Ithasalreadybeenindicatedpreviouslythatthemonetarysystemcorrectlyproclaimsproductionfortheworld-marketandthetransformationoftheoutputintocommodities,andthusintomoney,astheprerequisiteandconditionofcapitalistproduction。Inthissystem抯furtherdevelopmentintothemercantilesystem,itisnolongerthetransformationofcommodity-valueintomoney,butthecreationofsurplus-valuewhichisdecisive——butfromthemeaninglessviewpointofthecirculationsphereand,atthesametime,insuchmannerthatthissurplusvalueisrepresentedassurplusmoney,asthebalanceoftradesurplus。Atthesametime,however,thecharacteristicfeatureoftheinterestedmerchantsandmanufacturersofthatperiod,whichisinkeepingwiththestageofcapitalistdevelopmentrepresentedbythem,isthatthetransformationoffeudalagriculturalsocietiesintoindustrialonesandthecorrespondingindustrialstruggleofnationsontheworld-marketdependsonanaccelerateddevelopmentofcapital,whichisnottobearrivedatalongtheso-callednaturalpath,butratherbymeansofcoercivemeasures。Itmakesatremendousdifferencewhethernationalcapitalisgraduallyandslowlytransformedintoindustrialcapital,orwhetherthisdevelopmentisacceleratedbymeansofataxwhichtheyimposethroughprotectivedutiesmainlyuponlandowners,middleandsmallpeasants,andhandicraftsmen,bywayofacceleratedexpropriationoftheindependentdirectproducers,andthroughtheviolentlyacceleratedaccumulationandconcentrationofcapital,inshortbymeansoftheacceleratedestablishmentofconditionsofcapitalistproduction。Itsimultaneouslymakesanenormousdifferenceinthecapitalistandindustrialexploitationofthenaturalnationalproductivepower。Hencethenationalcharacterofthemercantilesystemisnotmerelyaphraseonthelipsofitsspokesmen。
  Underthepretextofconcernsolelyforthewealthofthenationandtheresourcesofthestate,they,infact,pronouncetheinterestsofthecapitalistclassandtheamassingofrichesingeneraltobetheultimateaimofthestate,andthusproclaimbourgeoissocietyinplaceoftheolddivinestate。
  Butatthesametimetheyareconsciouslyawarethatthedevelopmentoftheinterestsofcapitalandofthecapitalistclass,ofcapitalistproduction,formsthefoundationofnationalpowerandnationalascendancyinmodernsociety。
  Thephysiocrats,furthermore,arecorrectinstatingthatinfactallproductionofsurplus-value,andthusalldevelopmentofcapital,hasforitsnaturalbasistheproductivenessofagriculturallabour。Ifmanwerenotcapableofproducinginoneworking-daymoremeansofsubsistence,whichsignifiesinthestrictestsensemoreagriculturalproductsthaneverylabourerneedsforhisownreproduction,ifthedailyexpenditureofhisentirelabourpowersufficedmerelytoproducethemeansofsubsistenceindispensableforhisownindividualrequirements,thenonecouldnotspeakatalleitherofsurplus-productorsurplus-value。Anagriculturallabourproductivityexceedingtheindividualrequirementsofthelaboureristhebasisofallsocieties,andisaboveallthebasisofcapitalistproduction,whichdisengagesaconstantlyincreasingportionofsocietyfromtheproductionofbasicfoodstuffsandtransformstheminto”freeheads,”asSteuart[Steuart,AnInquiryIntothePrinciplesofPoliticalEconomy,Vol。I,Dublin,1770,p。396——Ed。]hasit,makingthemavailableforexploitationinotherspheres。
  Butwhatcanbesaidofmorerecentwritersoneconomics,suchasDaire,Passy,etc。,whoparrotthemostprimitiveconceptionsconcerningthenaturalconditionsofsurplus-labourandtherebysurplus-valueingeneral,inthetwilightofclassicaleconomy,indeedonitsverydeath-bed,andwhoimaginethattheyarethuspropoundingsomethingnewandstrikingonground-rent[Daire,Introduction。In:Physiocrats,1。Teil,Paris,1846;Passy,Rentedusol。In:Dictionnairedel?eacute;conomiepolitique,TomeII,Paris,1854,p。511——Ed。]longafterthisground-renthasbeeninvestigatedasaspecialformandbecomeaspecificportionofsurplus-value?
  Itisparticularlycharacteristicofvulgareconomythatitechoeswhatwasnew,original,profoundandjustifiedduringaspecificoutgrownstageofdevelopment,inaperiodwhenithasturnedplatitudinous,stale,andfalse。Itthusconfessesitscompleteignoranceoftheproblemswhichconcernedclassicaleconomy。Itconfoundsthemwithquestionsthatcouldonlyhavebeenposedonalowerlevelofdevelopmentofbourgeoissociety。Thesameholdstrueofitsincessantandself-complacentruminationofthephysiocraticphrasesconcerningfreetrade。Thesephraseshavelongsincelostalltheoreticalinterest,nomatterhowmuchtheymayengagethepracticalattentionofthisorthatstate。
  Innaturaleconomyproper,whennopartoftheagriculturalproduct,orbutaveryinsignificantportion,entersintotheprocessofcirculation,andthenonlyarelativelysmallportionofthatpartoftheproductwhichrepresentsthelandlord抯revenue,as,e。g。,inmanyRomanlatifundia,oruponthevillasofCharlemagne,ormoreorlessduringtheentireMiddleAgesseeVinç;ard,Histoiredutravail,theproductandsurplus-productofthelargeestatesconsistsbynomeanspurelyofproductsofagriculturallabour。Itencompassesequallywelltheproductsofindustriallabour。Domestichandicraftsandmanufacturinglabourassecondaryoccupationsofagriculture,whichformsthebasis,aretheprerequisiteofthatmodeofproductionuponwhichnaturaleconomyrests——inEuropeanantiquityandtheMiddleAgesaswellasinthepresent-dayIndiancommunity,inwhichthetraditionalorganisationhasnotyetbeendestroyed。Thecapitalistmodeofproductioncompletelyabolishesthisrelationship;aprocesswhichmaybestudiedonalargescaleparticularlyinEnglandduringthelastthirdofthe18thcentury。ThinkerslikeHerrenschwand,whohadgrownupinmoreorlesssemi-feudalsocieties,stillconsider,e。g。,aslateasthecloseofthe18thcentury,thisseparationofmanufacturefromagricultureasafoolhardysocialadventure,asanunthinkablyriskymodeofexistence。Andevenintheagriculturaleconomiesofantiquityshowingthegreatestanalogytocapitalistagriculture,namelyCarthageandRome,thesimilaritytoaplantationeconomyisgreaterthantoaformcorrespondingtothereallycapitalistmodeofexploitation。[42a]Aformalanalogy,which,simultaneously,however,turnsouttobecompletelyillusoryinallessentialpointstoapersonfamiliarwiththecapitalistmodeofproduction,whodoesnot,likeHerrMommsen,[43]discoveracapitalistmodeofproductionineverymonetaryeconomy,isnottobefoundatallincontinentalItalyduringantiquity,butatbestonlyinSicily,sincethisislandservedRomeasanagriculturaltributarysothatitsagriculturewasaimedchieflyatexport。Farmersinthemodernsenseexistedthere。
  Anerroneousconceptionofthenatureofrentisbaseduponthefactthatrentinkind,partlyastithestothechurchandpartlyasacuriosityperpetuatedbylong-establishedcontracts,hasbeendraggedoverintomoderntimesfromthenaturaleconomyoftheMiddleAges,completelyincontradictiontotheconditionsofthecapitalistmodeofproduction。Ittherebycreatestheimpressionthatrentdoesnotarisefromthepriceoftheagriculturalproduct,butfromitsmass,thusnotfromsocialconditions,butfromtheearth。Wehavepreviouslyshownthatalthoughsurplus-valueismanifestedinasurplus-producttheconversedoesnotholdthatasurplus-product,representingamereincreaseinthemassofproduct,constitutessurplus-value。
  Itmayrepresentaminusquantityinvalue。Otherwisethecottonindustryof1860,comparedwiththatof1840,wouldshowanenormoussurplus-value,whereasonthecontrarythepriceoftheyarnhasfallen。Rentmayincreaseenormouslyasaresultofasuccessionofcropfailures,becausethepriceofgrainrises,althoughthissurplus-valueappearsasanabsolutelydecreasingmassofdearerwheat。Conversely,therentmayfallinconsequenceofasuccessionofbountifulyears,becausethepricefalls,althoughthereducedrentappearsasagreatermassofcheaperwheat。Asregardsrentinkind,itshouldbenotednowthat,inthefirstplace,itisameretraditioncarriedoverfromanobsoletemodeofproductionandmanagingtoprolongitsexistenceasasurvival。Itscontradictiontothecapitalistmodeofproductionisshownbyitsdisappearanceofitselffromprivatecontracts,anditsbeingforciblyshakenoffasananachronism,whereverlegislationwasabletointerveneasinthecaseofchurchtithesinEngland。Secondly,however,whererentinkindpersistedonthebasisofcapitalistproduction,itwasnomore,andcouldbenomore,thananexpressionofmoney-rentinmedievalgarb。Wheat,forinstance,isquotedat40shillingsperquarter。
  Oneportionofthiswheatmustreplacethewagescontainedtherein,andmustbesoldtobecomeavailableforrenewedexpenditure。Anotherportionmustbesoldtopayitsproportionateshareoftaxes。Seedandevenaportionoffertiliserenterascommoditiesintotheprocessofreproduction,whereverthecapitalistmodeofproductionandwithitdivisionofsociallabouraredeveloped,i。e。,theymustbepurchasedforreplacementpurposes;
  andthereforeanotherportionofthisquartermustbesoldtoobtainmoneyforthis。Insofarastheyneednotbeboughtasactualcommodities,butaretakenoutoftheproductitselfinkind,inordertoenterintoitsreproductionanewasconditionsofproduction——asoccursnotonlyinagriculture,butinmanyotherlinesofproductionproducingconstantcapital——theyfigureinthebooksasmoneyofaccountandaredeductedaselementsofthecost-price。Thewearandtearofmachinery,andoffixedcapitalingeneral,mustbemadegoodinmoney。Andfinallycomesprofit,whichiscalculatedonthissum,expressedascostseitherinactualmoneyorinmoneyofaccount。Thisprofitisrepresentedbyadefiniteportionofthegrossproduct,whichisdeterminedbyitsprice。Andtheexcessportionwhichthenremainsformsrent。Iftherentinkindstipulatedbycontractisgreaterthanthisremainderdeterminedbytheprice,thenitdoesnotconstituterent,butadeductionfromprofit。Owingtothispossibilityalone,rentinkindisanobsoleteform,insofarasitdoesnotreflectthepriceoftheproduct,butmaybegreaterorsmallerthantherealrent,andthusmaycomprisenotonlyadeductionfromprofit,butalsofromthoseelementsrequiredforcapitalreplacement。Infact,thisrentinkind,sofarasitisrentnotmerelyinnamebutalsoinessence,isexclusivelydeterminedbytheexcessofthepriceoftheproductoveritspriceofproduction。Onlyitpresupposesthatthisvariableisaconstantmagnitude。
  Butitissuchacomfortingreflectionthattheproductinkindshouldsuffice,first,tomaintainthelabourersecondly,toleavethecapitalisttenantfarmermorefoodthanheneeds,andfinally,thattheremaindershouldconstitutethenaturalrent。Quitelikeamanufacturerproducing200,000yardsofcottongoods。Theseyardsofgoodsnotonlysufficetoclothehislabourers;toclothehiswife,allhisoffspringandhimselfabundantly;butalsoleaveoverenoughcottonforsale,inadditiontopayinganenormousrentintermsofcottongoods。Itisallsosimple!
  Deductthepriceofproductionfrom200,000yardsofcottongoods,andasurplusofcottongoodsmustremainforrent。Butitisindeedanaiveconceptiontodeductthepriceofproductionof,say,£;10,000from200,000yardsofcottongoods,withoutknowingthesellingprice,todeductmoneyfromcottongoods,todeductanexchange-valuefromause-valueassuch,andthustodeterminethesurplusofyardsofcottongoodsoverpoundssterling。Itisworsethansquaringthecircle,whichisatleastbasedupontheconceptionthatthereisalimitatwhichstraightlinesandcurvesimperceptiblyflowtogether。ButsuchistheprescriptionofM。Passy。
  Deductmoneyfromcottongoods,beforethecottongoodshavebeenconvertedintomoney,eitherinone抯mindorinreality!Whatremainsistherent,which,however,istobegraspednaturalitersee,forinstance,KarlArnd[K。Arnd,Dienaturgemä;sseVolkswirtschaft,gegenü;berdemMonopoliengeisteunddemCommunismus,Hanau,1845,S。461-62——Ed。]andnotbydeviltriesofsophistry。Theentirerestorationofrentinkindisfinallyreducedtothisfoolishness,thedeductionofthepriceofproductionfromsomanyandsomanybushelsofwheat,andthesubtractionofasumofmoneyfromacubicmeasure。
  II。LABOURRENT
  Ifweconsiderground-rentinitssimplestform,thatoflabourrent,wherethedirectproducer,usinginstrumentsoflabourplough,cattle,etc。whichactuallyorlegallybelongtohim,cultivatessoilactuallyownedbyhimduringpartoftheweek,andworksduringtheremainingdaysupontheestateofthefeudallordwithoutanycompensationfromthefeudallord,thesituationhereisstillquiteclear,forinthiscaserentandsurplus-valueareidentical。Rent,notprofit,istheformherethroughwhichunpaidsurplus-labourexpressesitself。Towhatextentthelaboureraself-sustainingserfcansecureinthiscaseasurplusabovehisindispensablenecessitiesoflife,i。e。,asurplusabovethatwhichwewouldcallwagesunderthecapitalistmodeofproduction,depends,othercircumstancesremainingunchanged,upontheproportioninwhichhislabour-timeisdividedintolabour-timeforhimselfandenforcedlabour-timeforhisfeudallord。
  Thissurplusabovetheindispensablerequirementsoflife,thegermofwhatappearsasprofitunderthecapitalistmodeofproduction,isthereforewhollydeterminedbytheamountofground-rent,whichinthiscaseisnotonlydirectlyunpaidsurplus-labour,butalsoappearsassuch。Itisunpaidsurplus-labourforthe”owner”ofthemeansofproduction,whichherecoincidewiththeland,andsofarastheydifferfromit,aremereaccessoriestoit。Thattheproductoftheserfmustheresufficetoreproducehisconditionsoflabour,inadditiontohissubsistence,isacircumstancewhichremainsthesameunderallmodesofproduction。Foritisnottheresultoftheirspecificform,butanaturalrequisiteofallcontinuousandreproductivelabouringeneral,ofanycontinuingproduction,whichisalwayssimultaneouslyreproduction,i。e。,includingreproductionofitsownoperatingconditions。Itisfurthermoreevidentthatinallformsinwhichthedirectlabourerremainsthe”possessor”ofthemeansofproductionandlabourconditionsnecessaryfortheproductionofhisownmeansofsubsistence,thepropertyrelationshipmustsimultaneouslyappearasadirectrelationoflordshipandservitude,sothatthedirectproducerisnotfree;alackoffreedomwhichmaybereducedfromserfdomwithenforcedlabourtoameretributaryrelationship。Thedirectproducer,accordingtoourassumption,istobefoundhereinpossessionofhisownmeansofproduction,thenecessarymateriallabourconditionsrequiredfortherealisationofhislabourandtheproductionofhismeansofsubsistence。
  Heconductshisagriculturalactivityandtheruralhomeindustriesconnectedwithitindependently。Thisindependenceisnotunderminedbythecircumstancethatthesmallpeasantsmayformamongthemselvesamoreorlessnaturalproductioncommunity,astheydoinIndia,sinceitisheremerelyaquestionofindependencefromthenominallordofthemanor。Undersuchconditionsthesurplus-labourforthenominalownerofthelandcanonlybeextortedfromthembyotherthaneconomicpressure,whatevertheformassumedmaybe。[44]Thisdiffersfromslaveorplantationeconomyinthattheslaveworksunderalienconditionsofproductionandnotindependently。Thus,conditionsofpersonaldependencearerequisite,alackofpersonalfreedom,nomattertowhatextent,andbeingtiedtothesoilasitsaccessory,bondageinthetruesenseoftheword。Shouldthedirectproducersnotbeconfrontedbyaprivatelandowner,butrather,asinAsia,underdirectsubordinationtoastatewhichstandsoverthemastheirlandlordandsimultaneouslyassovereign,thenrentandtaxescoincide,orrather,thereexistsnotaxwhichdiffersfromthisformofground-rent。Undersuchcircumstances,thereneedexistnostrongerpoliticaloreconomicpressurethanthatcommontoallsubjectiontothatstate。Thestateisthenthesupremelord。Sovereigntyhereconsistsintheownershipoflandconcentratedonanationalscale。But,ontheotherhand,noprivateownershipoflandexists,althoughthereisbothprivateandcommonpossessionanduseofland。
  Thespecificeconomicform,inwhichunpaidsurplus-labourispumpedoutofdirectproducers,determinestherelationshipofrulersandruled,asitgrowsdirectlyoutofproductionitselfand,inturn,reactsuponitasadeterminingelement。Uponthis,however,isfoundedtheentireformationoftheeconomiccommunitywhichgrowsupoutoftheproductionrelationsthemselves,therebysimultaneouslyitsspecificpoliticalform。
  Itisalwaysthedirectrelationshipoftheownersoftheconditionsofproductiontothedirectproducers——arelationalwaysnaturallycorrespondingtoadefinitestageinthedevelopmentofthemethodsoflabourandtherebyitssocialproductivity——whichrevealstheinnermostsecret,thehiddenbasisoftheentiresocialstructureandwithitthepoliticalformoftherelationofsovereigntyanddependence,inshort,thecorrespondingspecificformofthestate。Thisdoesnotpreventthesameeconomicbasis——thesamefromthestandpointofitsmainconditions——duetoinnumerabledifferentempiricalcircumstances,naturalenvironment,racialrelations,externalhistoricalinfluences,etc。fromshowinginfinitevariationsandgradationsinappearance,whichcanbeascertainedonlybyanalysisoftheempiricallygivencircumstances。
  Somuchisevidentwithrespecttolabourrent,thesimplestandmostprimitiveformofrent:Rentisheretheprimevalformofsurplus-labourandcoincideswithit。Butthisidentityofsurplus-valuewithunpaidlabourofothersneednotbeanalysedherebecauseitstillexistsinitsvisible,palpableform,sincethelabourofthedirectproducerforhimselfisstillseparatedinspaceandtimefromhislabourforthelandlordandthelatterappearsdirectlyinthebrutalformofenforcedlabourforathirdperson。
  Inthesamewaythe”attribute”possessedbythesoiltoproducerentisherereducedtoatangiblyopensecret,forthedispositiontofurnishrentherealsoincludeshumanlabour-powerboundtothesoil,andthepropertyrelationwhichcompelstheowneroflabour-powertodriveitonandactivateitbeyondsuchmeasureasisrequiredtosatisfyhisownindispensableneeds。Rentconsistsdirectlyintheappropriationofthissurplusexpenditureoflabour-powerbythelandlord;forthedirectproducerpayshimnoadditionalrent。Here,wheresurplus-valueandrentarenotonlyidenticalbutwheresurplus-valuehasthetangibleformofsurplus-labour,thenaturalconditionsorlimitsofrent,beingthoseofsurplus-valueingeneral,areplainlyclear。Thedirectproducermust1possessenoughlabour-power,and2
  thenaturalconditionsofhislabour,aboveallthesoilcultivatedbyhim,mustheproductiveenough,inaword,thenaturalproductivityofhislabourmustbebigenoughtogivehimthepossibilityofretainingsomesurplus-labouroverandabovethatrequiredforthesatisfactionofhisownindispensableneeds。Itisnotthispossibilitywhichcreatestherent,butrathercompulsionwhichturnsthispossibilityintoreality。