第5章

类别:其他 作者:Anonymous字数:8554更新时间:18/12/17 17:15:11
processofcultivationmustbeemployedwhichwillgive,notabsolutelythegreatestamountofproduce,butthegreatestafter deductingtheexpenses。Forthispurposeatractoffivehundredacres,fromwhichfiftyfamiliesproducedtheirown subsistence,andproducedscarcelyanythingmore,maybeconvertedintoonefarm,andwiththelabouroftenfamilies,and asmanyhorses,mayproducethesubsistenceofonlythirtyfamilies。Fortunately,however,theperiodatwhichthese alterationstakeplaceisgenerallyoneofgreatsocialimprovement;sothat,afterashortinterval,theincreaseddiligence andskillwithwhichlabourisapplied,occasionanincreaseofeventhegrossproduce。Thefundforthemaintenanceof labourersnowbecomesincreasedfromtwodifferentsources——partlyfromtheincreasedefficiencyofhumanlabour。when aidedbythatofhorsesandcattle,andpartlyfromtheresultsofapartofthehumanlaboursetfreebythesubstitutionof brutes。Theultimateconsequencesofsuchachangearealwaysbeneficial;thechange。itselfmust,ingeneral,beaccompaniedbydistress。Butwiththeexceptionofthesetwocases,oneofwhichproducesonlytemporaryeffects,andtheother,though :apparently。possible,seemneveractuallytooccur,it。appearstomedearthattheuse。ofmachinerymusteitherrasethegeneralrateofwages,orleaveitunaltered。Whenmachineryisappliedtotheproductionofcommoditieswhicharenotintended,directlyorindirectly,fortheuseof labourers,itoccasionsnoalterationinthegeneralrateofwages;——Isaythegeneralrateofwages;becauseitmaydiminish therateofwagesinsomeemployments,——adiminution。alwayscompensatedbyacorrespondingincreaseinsomeothers。I wasshownatBirminghamasmallscrew,which,inthemanufactureofcorkscrews,performedtheworkoffifty—ninemen; withitsassistanceonemancouldcutaspiralgrooveinasmanycorkscrewshanksassixtymencouldhavecutinthesame timewiththetoolspreviouslyinuse。Astheuseofcorkscrewsislimited,it。isnotprobablethatthedemandforthemhas sufficientlyincreasedtoenablethewholenumberoflabourerspreviouslyemployedintheirmanufacture,toremainso employedaftersuchanincreaseintheirproductivepower。Someofthecorkscrew—makers,therefore,musthavebeen thrownoutofwork,andtherateofwagesinthattradeprobablyfell。Butasthewholefundforthemaintenanceof labourers,andthewholenumberoflabourerstobemaintained,remainedunaltered,thatfallmusthavebeenbalancedbya risesomewhereelse——arisewhichwemaytracetoitsproximatecause,byrecollectingthatthefallinthepriceof corkscrewsmusthavelefteverypurchaserofacorkscrewafundforthepurchaseoflabour,ratherlargerthanhewouldhavepossessedifhehadpaidtheformerprice。If,however,machinerybeappliedtotheproductionofanycommodityusedbythelabouringpopulation,thegeneralrate ofwageswillrise。Thatitcannotfallisclear,onthegroundswhichIhavejuststated。Iftheimprovementbegreat,andthe commoditynotsubjecttoacorrespondingincreaseofdemand,someofthelabourersformerlyemployedinitsproduction willbethrownoutofemployment,andwages,inthattrade,willfall——afallwhich,asthewholefundforthemaintenance oflabourisnotdiminished,mustbemetbyacorrespondingriseinsomeothertrade。Butthefundwillbeincreasedbythe additionalquantityproducedofthecommoditytowhichtheimprovementhasbeenapplied:estimatedinthatcommodity, therefore,thegeneralrateofwages,or,inotherwords,thequantityofcommoditiesobtainedbythelabouringpopulation,willbeincreasedbytheintroductionofmachinery;estimatedinallothers,itwillbestationary。Theexampletakenfromthemanufactureofcorkscrewsisasunfavourabletotheeffectsofmachineryascanbeproposed; fortheuseofthecommodityissupposedtobeunabletokeepupwiththeincreasedproduction,andthewholenumberof labourersemployedonitis,consequently,diminished。This,however,isaveryrareoccurrence。Theusualeffectofan increaseinthefacilityofproducingacommodityissotoincreaseitsconsumptionastooccasiontheemploymentofmore,notless,labourthanbefore。Ihavealreadycalledyourattentiontotheeffectsofmachineryinthemanufactureofcottonandinprinting。Eachofthese tradesprobablyemploystentimesasmanylabourersasitwouldhaveemployedifspinning—jenniesandtypeshadnotbeen invented。Undersuchcircumstances(andtheyaretheusualones),thebenefitsofmachineryarenotalloyedbyevenpartialinconvenience。Fifthly。Closelyconnectedwiththismistake,andoccasionedbythesamehabitofattendingonlytowhatistemporaryand partial,andneglectingwhatispermanentandgeneral;ofdwellingontheevilthatisconcentrated,andbeinginsensibleof thebenefitthatisdiffused,isthecommonerrorofsupposingthatthegeneralrateofwagescanbereducedbythe importationofforeigncommodities。Infacttheopeningofanewmarketispreciselyanalogoustotheintroductionofa newmachine,exceptthatitisamachinewhichitcostsnothingtoconstructortokeepup。Iftheforeigncommoditybenot consumedbythelabouringpopulation,itsintroductionleavesthegeneralrateofwagesunaffected;ifitbeusedbythem, theirwagesareraisedasestimatedinthatcommodity。IftheabsurdlawswhichfavourthewinesofPortugaltothe exclusionofthoseofFrancewererepealed,morelabourerswouldbeemployedinproducingcommoditiesfortheFrench market,andfewerforthePortuguese。Wageswouldtemporarilyfallintheonetrade,andriseintheother。Theclear benefitwouldbederivedbythedrinkersofwine,who,atthesameexpense,wouldobtainmoreandbetterwine。Soifwhat arccalledtheprotectingdutiesonFrenchsilkswereremoved,fewerlabourerswouldbeemployedinthedirectproduction ofsilk,andmoreinitsindirectproduction,bytheproductionofthecottons,orhardware,withwhichitwouldbe purchased。Thewearersofsilkwouldbetheonlyclassultimatelybenefited;andasthelaboutingpopulationneitherwear silknordrinkwine,thegeneralrateofwageswould,inbothcases,remainunaltered。Butifthelawswhichprohibitour obtainingonthemostadvantageoustermstea,andsugar,andcorn,werealtered,thatportionofthe。fundforthe maintenanceoflabour,whichconsistsofcorn,sugar,andtea,wouldbeincreased。Andthegeneralrateofwages,asestimatedinthethreemostimportantarticlesoffood,wouldberaised。Sixthly。TheviewswhichIhavebeenendeayouringtoexplain,areinconsistentwiththecommonopinion,thatthe unproductiveconsumptionoflandlordsandcapitalistsisbeneficialtothelabouringclasses,becauseitfurnishesthemwithemployment。Themaintainersofthistheorymustforgetthatitisnotemployment,butfood,clothing,shelter,andfuel——in short,thematerialsofsubsistenceandcomfort,thatthelabouringclassesrequire。Thewordemploymentismerelya conciseformofdesignatingtoil,trouble,exposure,andfatigue。Allthese,perse,areevils,andthelessofthemthatis requiredforobtainingagivenamountofsubsistenceandcomfort,——or,inotherwords,thegreaterthefacilityofobtaining thatgivenamount,——thebetter,caeterisparibus,willbetheconditionofthelabouringclasses;indeed,ofallclassesinthe community。Whatoccasionstheprosperityofacolony?Notthedearnessofsubsistence,butitscheapness;notthe difficultyofobtainingfood,clothing;shelter,andfuel,butthefacility。Nowhowcanunproductiveconsumptionincrease thisfacility?Howcanthefundfromwhichallaretobemaintainedbeaugmentedbythedestructionofaportionofit?If thehigherordersweretoreturntothecustomsofacenturyago,andcovertheircoatswithgoldlace,theymightenjoy theirownfinery;buthowwouldthatbenefittheirinferiors?ThetheorywhichIamconsidering,repliesthattheywouldbe benefitedbybeingemployedinmakingthelace。Itistruethatacoat,insteadofcosting5l。,wouldcost55l。Butwhat becomesnowoftheextra50l。?foritcannotbesaidthatbecauseitisnotspentonalacedcoat,itdoesnotexist。Ifa landlordwith10,000l。ayearspendsitunproductively,hepaysitawaytothosewhofurnishtheembellishmentsofhis houseandgrounds,andsupplyhisstable,hisequipage,andhisclothes。Supposehimnowtoabandonallunproductive expenditure,toconfinehimselftobarenecessaries,andtoearnthembyhisownlabour,thefirstconsequencewouldbe, thatthoseamongwhomhepreviouslyspenthis10,000l。ayearwouldlosehimasanemployer;andbeyondthisthetheory inquestionseesnothing。Butwhatwouldhedowiththe10,000l。whichhewouldstillannuallyreceive?Noonesupposes thathewouldlockitupinabox,orburyitinhisgarden。Whetherproductivelyorunproductively,itstillmustbespent。If spentbyhimself,asbythesuppositionitwouldbespentproductively,itmustincrease,andeveryyearstillfurtherincrease thewholefundapplicabletotheuseoftherestofthecommunity。Ifnotspentbyhimself,itmustbelenttosomeother person,andbythatpersonitmustbespentproductivelyorunproductively。Hemight,perhaps,buywithitpropertyinthe Englishfunds;butwhatbecomesofitinthehandsoftilepersonwhosellstohimthatfundedproperty?Hemightbuywith itFrenchrentes;butinwhatformwouldthepriceofthoserentesgotoParis?——Intheform,aswehaveseen,of manufacturedcommodities。Quacunqueviadata,everymanmustspendhisincome;andthelesshespendsonhimself,themoreremainsfortherestoftheworld。Thelasttheory,inconsistentwithmyownviews,towhichIshallcallyourattention,isthatproposedbyMr。Ricardointhefollowingpassage:——\'Thelabouringclasshavenosmallinterestinthemannerinwhichthenetincomeofthecountryisexpended,althoughitshould,inallcases,beexpendedforthegratificationandenjoymentofthosewhoarefairlyentitledtoit。\'Ifalandlord,oracapitalist,expendshisrevenueinthemannerofanancientbaron,inthesupportofagreatnumberof retainersormenialservants,hewillgiveemploymenttomuchmorelabourthanifheexpendeditonfineclothesorcostlyfurniture。\'Inbothcasesthenetrevenuewouldbethesame,andsowouldbethegrossrevenue,buttheformerwouldberealizedin differentcommodities。Ifmyrevenuewere10,000l。,thesamequantitynearlyofproductivelabourwouldbeemployed, whetherIrealizeditinfineclothesandcostlyfurniture,etc。etc。,orin\'aquantityoffoodandclothingofthesamevalue。If, however,Irealizedmyrevenueinthefirstsetofcommodities,nomorelabourwouldbeconsequentlyemployed:Ishould enjoymyfurnitureandmyclothes,andtherewouldbeanendofthem;butifIrealizedmyrevenueinfoodandclothing, andmydesirewastoemploymenialservants,allthosewhomIcouldsoemploywithmyrevenueof10,000l,orwiththe foodandclothingwhichitwouldpurchase,wouldbetobeaddedtotheformerdemandforlabourers,andthisaddition wouldtakeplaceonlybecauseIchosethismodeofexpendingmyrevenue。Asthelabourers,then,areinterestedinthe demandforlabour,theymustnaturallydesirethatasmuchaspossibleshouldbedivertedfromexpenditureonluxuries,tobeexpendedinthesupportofmenialservants。Inthesamemanneracountryengagedinwar,andwhichisunderthenecessityofmainmininglargefleetsandarmies, employsagreatmanymorementhanwillbeemployedwhenthewarterminates,andtheannualexpenseswhichitbringswithitcease。IfIwerenotcalleduponforataxof500l。duringthewar,whichisexpendedonmeninthesituationsofsoldiersand sailors,Imightprobablyspendthatportionofmyincomeonfurniture,clothes,books,etc。etc。,andwhetheritwas expendedintheonewayortheother,therewouldbethesamequantityoflabouremployedinproduction;forthefoodand clothingofthesoldierandsailorwouldrequirethesameamountofindustrytoproducethemasthemoreluxurious commodities:but,inthecaseofwar,therewouldbetheadditionaldemandformenassoldiersandsailors;and, consequently,awarwhichissupportedoutoftherevenue,andnotfromthecapitalofacountry,isfavourabletoanincreaseofpopulation。Attheterminationofthewar,whenpartofmyrevenuerevertstome,andisemployedasbeforeinthepurchaseofwine, furniture,orotherluxuries,thepopulationwhichitbeforesupported,andwhichthewarcalledintoexistence,willbecome redundant,andbyitseffectontherestofthepopulation,anditscompetitionwithitforemployment,willsinkthevalueofwages,andverymateriallydeterioratetheconditionofthelabouringclasses。\'(4)Mr。Ricardo\'s。theoryis,thatitismorebeneficialtothelabouringclassestobeemployedintheproductionofservicesthan intheproductionofcommodities;thatitisbetterforthemtobeemployedinstandingbehindchairsthaninmakingchairs; assoldiersorsailorsthanasmanufacturers。Nowasitisclearthatthewholequantityofcommoditiesprovidedfortheuse oflabourersisnotincreasedbytheconversionofanartisanintoafootmanorasoldier,eitherMr。Ricardomustbewrong,ormyelementarypropositionisfalse。Mr。Ricardoseemstohavebeenledtohisconclusionsbyobservingthatthewagesofservants,sailors,andsoldiersare principallypaidinkind——thoseofartisansinmoney。Hecorrectlystates,thatifamanwith10,000l。a—yearspendshis incomeinthepurchaseofcommoditiesforhisownuse,heretains,afterhavingmadethosepurchases,nofurtherfundfor themaintenanceoflabour;butthatifhespendsitinthepurchaseofcommoditiestobeemployedinmaintainingmenial servants,hehas,inthosepurchasedcommodities,anewfundwithwhichhecanmaintainacertainnumberofmenial servants。Itappearedtohim,therefore,thatthelandlordwould,inthelattercase,beabletospendhisincometwiceover; tosubsisttwiceasmany。personsasbefore。Itdidnotoccurtohimthatthelandlord,bypurchasinghimselfthesubsistence ofhisservants,merelydoesforthemwhattheywouldbeabletodobetter。forthemselves;that,insteadofspendinghis ownincometwiceover,hemerelytakesonhimselfthebusinessofspendingtheirsforthem;(5)andthatifheweretogiveto hisservantsthevalueoftheirwholesubsistenceinmoney,thewholebodyoflabourerswouldbejustaswellmaintainedas inthesupposedcaseofhispurchasingtheirsubsistence,andthengivingittotheminexchangefortheirservices。Noone wouldmaintainthatifitwerethepractice,inthiscountry,asitisinIndia,togivetoservantsboardwages,thedemandfor labourwouldbelessened;orthatifitwerethepractice,asitisinsemi—barbarouscountries,tomaintainservantsto producewithintheirmasterswallsthecommoditieswhichweareaccustomedtopurchasefromshops,thedemandfor labourwouldbeincreased。Stilllesscoulditbe。maintained,thatifthoseservants,insteadofproducingcommodities,were employedinfollowingtheirmaster\'sperson,ormountingguardbeforehisdoor,suchachangewouldcreateanadditionaldemandformen,andbefavourabletoanincreaseofpopulation。SofaramIfromconcurringinMr。Ricardo\'sopinion,thatitistheinterestofthelabourersthatrevenueshouldbespent ratheronservicesthanoncommodities,thatIbelievetheirinteresttobepreciselyopposite。Inthefirstplace,thelabourer cangenerallymanagebetterhisownincomethanitcanbemanagedforhimbyhismaster。Ifadomesticservantcouldearn aswagesthewholesumwhichhecostshismaster,evenifheweretospenditashereceivedit,hewouldprobablyspendit withmoreenjoyment。Secondly,theincomespentonservicesisspentinthepurchaseofwhatperishesattheinstantofits creation;thatspentoncommoditiesoftenleavesresultswhich,whentheirfirstpurchaserhasdonewiththem,are serviceabletoothers。Inthiscountrythepoorare,toagreatextent,clothedwithgarmentsoriginallyprovidedfortheir superiors。Inallthebetterclassofcottagesmaybefoundarticlesoffurniturewhichnevercouldhavebeenmadefortheir presentpossessors。Alargeportionofthecommoditieswhichnowcontributetothecomfortofthelabouringclasseswould neverhaveexisted,ifithadbeenthefashioninthiscountry,duringthelastfiftyyears,topreferretinueandattendanceto durablecommodities。And,thirdly,theincomeemployedoncommoditiesisfavourabletothecreationofbothmaterialand immaterialcapital;thatemployedonservicesisnot。Thedutiesofaservantaresoeasilylearned,thathecanscarcelybe termedaskilledlabourer:hisaccumulationsaresmallinamount,andseldomturnedtomuchadvantage。Theartisanlearns atrade,inwhicheveryyearaddstohisskill,andistaughtmechanicalandchemicalprocesses,oftensusceptibleof indefiniteimprovement,andinwhichasingleinventionmayraisetheauthortowealth,anddiffuseprosperityoverawhole district,orevenawholenation。Anindustriousartisancanoftensavealargeportionofhisincome,andinvestitwithgreat andimmediateprofit。Hepurchaseswithhissavingsasmallstockoftoolsandmaterials,andbythevigilanceandactivity whichcanbeappliedonlytoasmallcapital,renderseveryportionofitefficient。Theancestors,andnottheremote ancestors,ofsomeofourrichestandourproudestfamilies,theauthorsofsomeofourmostvaluablediscoveries,were commonmechanics。Whatmenialservanthasinthiscountry,andinmoderntimes,beenapublicbenefactor,orevenraised himselftoaffluence?Bothhistoryandobservationshowthatthosecountriesinwhichexpenditureischieflyemployedinthepurchaseofservicesarepoor,andthoseinwhichitisemployedoncommoditiesarerich。Mr。Ricardo\'stheoryastotheeffectsofwarisstillmorestrikinglyerroneous。Itis,inthefirstplace,opentoallthe objectionswhichIhavealreadyopposedtohisviewsrespectingmenialservants。Therevenuewhichisemployedin maintainingsoldiersandsailorswould,evenifunproductivelyconsumed,maintainatleastanequalnumberofservantsand artisans;andthatportionofitwhichwouldhavebeenemployedinthemaintenanceofartisanswould(aswehaveseen) havebeenfarmorebeneficiallyemployed。Thedemandforsoldiersandsailorsisnot,ashetermsit,anadditional,itis merelyasubstituteddemand。Butagreatpartofthatrevenuewouldhavebeenproductivelyconsumed。Insteadof employingsomelabourersinconvertingsuburbsintofortifications,andforestsintonavies,toperishbydryrotinharbour,orbyexposure。atsea,andothersinwalkingthedeckandparadingontherampart,itwouldhaveemployedtheminaddingmoreandmore everyyeartothefundfromwhichtheirsubsistenceisderived。Warismischievoustoeveryclassinthecommunity;butto noneisitsuch。acurseastothelabourers。 THEEND。 NOTES: 1。Thisisoneofthemodesinwhichslaverymaybeextinguished,butitisadreadfulabuseoflanguagetocalliteuthanasia。 2。SeeMr。WilmotHorton\'s\'CausesandRemediesofPauperism,\'fourthseries。 HieetiamfatisaperitCassandrafuturisOraDeijussunonunquamcreditaTeucris。3。Andyetitappearsnowtobethought,thatwagesmayberaisedbythedestructionor(whatisthesameinimmediate effect)thedisuseofmachinesalreadyconstructed。 4。Principles,etc。,p。475。5。Hedidnotperceivethatallthatthelandlordspendsinpurchasingthesubsistenceandclothingofhisservantsissomuch deductedfromwhathewouldotherwisehavetopaytheminmoney。