登陆注册
4712300000010

第10章

The Price and Instrinsic Value of a Thing in general is the measure of the Land and Labour which enter into its Production One acre of land produces more corn or feeds more sheep than another. The work of one man is dearer than that of another, as I have already explained, according to the superior skill and occurrences of the times. If two acres of land are of equal goodness, one will feed as many sheep and produce as much wool as the other, supposing the labour to be the same, and the wool produced by one acre will be the same, and the wool produced by one acre will sell at the same price as that produced by the other.

If the wool of the one acre is made into a suit of coarse cloth and the wool of the other into a suit of fine cloth, as the latter will require more work and dearer workmanship it will be sometimes ten times dearer, though both contain the same quantity and quality of wool. The quantity of the produce of the land and the quantity as well as the quality of the labour, will of necessity enter into the price.

A pound of flax wrought into fine Brussels lace requires the labour of 14 persons for a year or of one person for 14 years, as may be seen from a calculation of the different processes in the supplement, where we also see that the price obtained for the lace suffices to pay for the maintenance of one person for 14 years as well as the profits of all the undertakers and merchants concerned.

The fine steel spring which regulates an English watch is generally sold at a price which makes the proportion of material to labour, or of steel to spring, one to one million so that in this case labour makes up nearly all the value of the spring. See the calculation in the supplement.

On the other hand the price of the hay in a field, on the spot, or a wood which it is proposed to cut down, is fixed by the matter or produce of the land, according to its goodness.

The price of a pitcher of Seine water is nothing, because there is an immense supply which does not dry up; but in the streets of Paris people give a sol for it -- the price or measure of the labour of the water carrier.

By these examples and inductions it will, I think, be understood that the price or intrinsic value of a thing is the measure of the quantity of land and of labour entering into its production, having regard to the fertility or produce of the land and to the quality of the labour.

But it often happens that many things which have actually this intrinsic value are not sold in the market according to that value: that will depend on the humours and fancies of men and on their consumption.

If a gentleman cuts canals and erects terraces in his garden, their intrinsic value will be proportionable to the land and labour; but the price in reality will not always follow this proportion. If he offers to sell the garden possibly no one will give him half the expense he has incurred. It is also possible that if several persons desire it he may be given double the intrinsic value, that is twice the value of the land and the expense he has incurred.

If the farmers in a state sow more corn than usual, much more than is needed for the year's consumption, the real and intrinsic value of the corn will correspond to the land and labour which enter into its production; but as there is too great an abundance of it and there are more sellers than buyers the market price of the corn will necessarily fall below the intrinsic price of value. If on the contrary the farmers sow less corn than is needed for consumption there will be more buyers than sellers and the market price of corn will rise above its intrinsic value.

There is never a variation in intrinsic values, but the impossibility of proportioning the production of merchandise and produce in a state to their consumption causes a daily variation, and a perpetual ebb and flow in market prices. However in well organized societies the market prices of articles whose consumption is tolerably constant and uniform do not vary much from the intrinsic value; and when there are no years of too scanty or too abundant production the magistrates of the city are able to fix the market prices of many things, like bread and meat, without any on having cause to complain.

Land is the matter and labour the form of all produce and merchandise, and as those who labour must subsist on the produce of the land it seems that some relation might be found between the value of labour and that of the produce of the land: this will form the subject of the next chapter.

同类推荐
  • 秦观词选

    秦观词选

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 金刚顶胜初瑜伽普贤菩萨念诵法经

    金刚顶胜初瑜伽普贤菩萨念诵法经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 明制女官考

    明制女官考

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 女镜

    女镜

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 卧游录

    卧游录

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • Cause to Run (An Avery Black Mystery—Book 2)

    Cause to Run (An Avery Black Mystery—Book 2)

    "A dynamic story line that grips from the first chapter and doesn't let go."--Midwest Book Review, Diane Donovan (regarding Once Gone)From #1 bestselling mystery author Blake Pierce comes a new masterpiece of psychological suspense.In CAUSE TO RUN (An Avery Black Mystery—Book 2), a new serial killer is stalking Boston, killing his victims in bizarre ways, taunting the police with mysterious puzzles that reference the stars. As the stakes are upped and the pressure is on, the Boston Police Department is forced to call in its most brilliant—and most controversial—homicide detective: Avery Black.
  • 快穿系统:宿主大人别崩了!

    快穿系统:宿主大人别崩了!

    (推荐免费新书:逆天娇妻:枭爷别太撩)某年某月某日,某只系统可怜巴巴的看着面前这个低头只顾着玩游戏的女人,“宿主,我们应该去下一个位面了!”女人抬头:“等一会。”某系统哭唧唧,等一会!你两个时辰前就是这样说的……………………“宿主,那是女主不能拍呀!”九妖妖看着帝九歌即将拍到女主头上的板砖心惊胆颤的喊道。“急什么,又不是拍死!”帝九歌微微停顿,没有听九妖妖的话,直接一板砖拍了下去。系统望天:唉……管理者肯定要来找它了……呜呜呜~
  • 那一束阳光

    那一束阳光

    "书里说每个女孩都是公主,无论在破阁楼还是城堡里."
  • 千金方

    千金方

    《千金方》是综合性临床医著。又称《千金要方》,简称《千金方》。22卷。明代后有按《道藏》经义析为93卷者,内容同。唐代孙思邈约撰于652年。是感于当时的方药本草部秩浩繁,仓卒间求检不易,乃博采群经,删繁去复,并结合个人经验而撰成 。卷 1医学总论及本草、制药等;卷2~4妇科病;卷5儿科病;卷6七窍病;卷7~10诸风、脚气、伤寒;卷11 ~20系按脏腑顺序排列的一些内科杂病;卷21消渴、淋闭等症 ;卷22疔肿痈疽。总计162门,合方论4500首。书中所载医论、医方较系统地总结了自《内经》以后至唐初的医学成就,是一部科学价值较高的著作。
  • 带着儿子闯天下

    带着儿子闯天下

    这是一个一女挑战一个大陆的奋斗史。这也是一个冷面阎王被驯服成乖乖羊的驯夫记。且看她如何让妖孽男马首是瞻,如何翻云覆雨只手遮天。【情节虚构,请勿模仿】
  • 帝仙,你家主神又掉了

    帝仙,你家主神又掉了

    听说某少年主神的神魂碎了,散落万千世界不知所踪。然后,不知是天意还是人为,小可怜姜檀被系统抓去当‘苦工’了。但系统不知道为什么,这画风竟然越变越诡异了!胆子没肥之前,为了回家为了活命,系统是她爸爸。但胆子肥了之后,姜檀简直作天作地要上天,系统成了孙子!“小美人,来,给爷笑一个。”调戏良家妇男日常。“谈恋爱?哪凉快哪呆着去!我怎么可能为了一颗歪脖子树而放弃整片森林!”花心日常。“瞎逼逼什么撸起袖子就是干!”挑事日常。“啊,你说什么?你喜欢我……不好意思风太大我没听清!”日常皮一把。系统:我给你把梯子,你上天去吧。【不签约,全书免费】
  • 善待自己2:追随幸福的N个人生哲理(白金版)

    善待自己2:追随幸福的N个人生哲理(白金版)

    善待自己,善待人生,善待在人生的游戏中的机会,虽然你和许多人的结果是一样的 ,但过程同样重要。人可以有欲望,但要分清自己当时所处的位置。善待自己,善待命运,这是游戏的潜规则。人可以对不起你,但你不可以对不起自己。对自己好,珍惜自己,是最基本的要求。尽量让自己快乐,尽量让自己简单、朴素在复杂的氛围中。世上没有比生活自己的阴影里更可怕的事了。我们不能要求社会对每一个人都公正,因为那就是上苍的考验。善待自己并不等于放任自己。放纵自己的人,会得到短期的快乐。但同时也会因为目光短浅而失去更多的未来的发展机会。长时间无法得到突破,人可能就会迷失。或者放任,或者放弃。这时候人就应该更多地放时间在学习。
  • 死刑白名单

    死刑白名单

    盘点近十年间警方极力侦破,最终却悬而未果的“非常式”冤案错案。还原法网之外的故事,让背后的事实震撼到你。
  • 神奇的世界

    神奇的世界

    人们在生活中总会遇到各种各样的神奇现象,而实际上,这些现象不仅仅限于人们在生活中所遇到的这些,在一些人们没有接触到的领域,神奇的现象同样存在。本书从灾难、生活、亲缘、灵异、预言、历史等八个方面向读者结介绍了古今中外各种神奇的现象,一则则生动有趣的小故事,让读者在轻松的阅读中,从另一种角度了解神秘的大千世界。
  • 灵性的成长:灵修大师克里希那穆提的心灵语录

    灵性的成长:灵修大师克里希那穆提的心灵语录

    印度的克里希那穆提是20世纪最伟大的灵修大师,他一生致力引导人们点亮自性之光:认识自我,旨在帮助人类从恐惧和无明中彻底解脱,体悟慈悲与至乐的自由境界。在本书中,我们撷取克里希那穆提思想中的精粹,在其的引导下深入探讨与心灵成长息息相关的问题,为在黑暗中摸索前行的心灵送去一星火种,点亮人类的自性之光。