"Theconverseofallthiswouldhavehappened,if,insteadof800times17yards,wehadsupposedthatEngland,attherateof10for17,wouldhavetaken1200times17yardsoflinen。Inthiscase,itisEnglandwhosedemandisnotfullysupplied;itisEnglandwho,bybiddingformorelinen,willaltertherateofinterchangetoherowndisadvantage;and10yardsofclothwillfall,inbothcountries,belowthevalueof17yardsoflinen。Bythisfallofcloth,orwhatisthesamething,thisriseoflinen,thedemandofGermanyforclothwillincrease,andthedemandofEnglandforlinenwilldiminish,tilltherateofinterchangehassoadjusteditselfthattheclothandthelinenwillexactlypayforoneanother;andwhenoncethispointisattained,valueswillremainwithoutfurtheralteration。"Itmayheconsidered,therefore,asestablished,thatwhentwocountriestradetogetherintwocommodities,theexchangevalueofthesecommoditiesrelativelytoeachotherwilladjustitselftotheinclinationsandcircumstancesoftheconsumersonbothsides,insuchmannerthatthequantitiesrequiredbyeachcountry,ofthearticleswhichitimportsfromitsneighbour,shallbeexactlysufficienttopayforoneanother。Astheinclinationsandcircumstancesofconsumerscannotbereducedtoanyrule,soneithercantheproportionsinwhichthetwocommoditieswillbeinterchanged。Weknowthatthelimitswithinwhichthevariationisconfined,aretheratiobetweentheircostsofproductionintheonecountry,andtheratiobetweentheircostsofproductionintheother。Tenyardsofclothcannotexchangeformorethan20yardsoflinen,norforlessthan15。
Buttheymayexchangeforanyintermediatenumber。Theratios,therefore,inwhichtheadvantageofthetrademaybedividedbetweenthetwonations,arevarious。Thecircumstancesonwhichtheproportionateshareofeachcountrymoreremotelydepends,admitonlyofaverygeneralindication。
"Itisevenpossibletoconceiveanextremecase,inwhichthewholeoftheadvantageresultingfromtheinterchangewouldbereapedbyoneparty,theothercountrygainingnothingatall。
Thereisnoabsurdityinthehypothesisthat,ofsomegivencommodity,acertainquantityisallthatiswantedatanyprice;
andthat,whenthatquantityisobtained,nofallintheexchangevaluewouldinduceotherconsumerstocomeforward,orthosewhoarealreadysupplied,totakemore。LetussupposethatthisisthecaseinGermanywithcloth。BeforehertradewithEnglandcommenced,when10yardsofclothcostherasmuchlabouras20
yardsoflinen,sheneverthelessconsumedasmuchclothasshewantedunderanycircumstances,and,ifshecouldobtainitattherateof10yardsofclothfor15oflinen,shewouldnotconsumemore。Letthisfixedquantitybe1000times10yards。Attherate,however,of10for20,Englandwouldwantmorelinenthanwouldbeequivalenttothisquantityofcloth。Shewouldconsequently,offerahighervalueforlinen;or,whatisthesamething,shewouldofferherclothatacheaperrate。But,asbynoloweringofthevaluecouldsheprevailonGermanytotakeagreaterquantityofcloth,therewouldbenolimittotheriseoflinenorfallofcloth,untilthedemandofEnglandforlinenwasreducedbytheriseofitsvalue,tothequantitywhich1000
times10yardsofclothwouldpurchase。Itmightbe,thattoproducethisdiminutionofthedemandalessfallwouldnotsufficethanthatwhichwouldmake10yardsofclothexchangefor15oflinen。Germanywouldthengainthewholeoftheadvantage,andEnglandwouldbeexactlyasshewasbeforethetradecommenced。Itwouldbefortheinterest,however,ofGermanyherselftokeepherlinenalittlebelowthevalueatwhichitcouldbeproducedinEngland,inordertokeepherselffrombeingsupplantedbythehomeproducer。England,therefore,wouldalwaysbenefitinsomedegreebytheexistenceofthetrade,thoughitmightbeaveryfigone。"
Inthisstatement,Iconceive,iscontainedthefirstelementaryprincipleofInternationalValues。Ihave,asisindispensableinsuchabstractandhypotheticalcases,supposedthecircumstancestobemuchlesscomplexthantheyreallyare:
inthefirstplace,bysuppressingthecostofcarriage;next,bysupposingthatthereareonlytwocountriestradingtogether;andlastly,thattheytradeonlyintwocommodities。Torendertheexpositionoftheprinciplecomplete,itisnecessarytorestorethevariouscircumstancesthustemporarilyleftouttosimplifytheargument。Thosewhoareaccustomedtoanykindofscientificinvestigationwillprobablysee,withoutformalproof,thattheintroductionofthesecircumstancescannotalterthetheoryofthesubject。Tradeamonganynumberofcountries,andinanynumberofcommodities,musttakeplaceonthesameessentialprinciplesastradebetweentwocountriesandintwocommodities。
Introducingagreaternumberofagentspreciselysimilar,cannotchangethelawoftheiraction,nomorethanputtingadditionalweightsintothetwoscalesofabalancealtersthelawofgravitation。Italtersnothingbutthenumericalresults。Formorecompletesatisfaction,however,wewillenterintothecomplexcaseswiththesameparticularitywithwhichwehavestatedthesimplerone。
3。First,letusintroducetheelementofcostofcarriage。
Thechiefdifferencewillthenbe,thattheclothandthelinenwillnolongerexchangeforeachotheratpreciselythesamerateinbothcountries。Linen,havingtobecarriedtoEngland,willbedearertherebyitscostofcarriage;andclothwillbedearerinGermanybythecostofcarryingitfromEngland。Linen,estimatedincloth,willbedearerinEnglandthaninGermany,bythecostofcarriageofbotharticles:andsowillclothinGermany,estimatedinlinen。Supposethatthecostofcarriageofeachisequivalenttooneyardoflinen;andsupposethat,iftheycouldhavebeencarriedwithoutcost,thetermsofinterchangewouldhavebeen10yardsofclothfor17oflinen。Itmayseematfirstthateachcountrywillpayitsowncostofcarriage;thatis,thecarriageofthearticleitSports;thatinGermany10yardsofclothwillexchangefor18oflinen,namely,theoriginal17,and1tocoverthecostofcarriageofthecloth;whileinEngland,10yardsofclothwillonlypurchase16
oflinen,1yardbeingdeductedforthecostofcarriageofthelinen。This,however,cannotbeaffirmedwithcertainty;itwillonlybetrue,ifthelinenwhichtheEnglishconsumerswouldtakeatthepriceof10for16,exactlypaysfortheclothwhichtheGermanconsumerswouldtakeat10for18。Thevalues,whatevertheyare,mustestablishthisequilibrium。Noabsoluterule,therefore,canbelaiddownforthedivisionofthecost,nomorethanforthedivisionoftheadvantage:anditdoesnotfollowthatinwhateverratiotheoneisdivided,theotherwillbedividedinthesame。Itisimpossibletosay,ifthecostofcarriagecouldbeannihilated,whethertheproducingortheimportingcountrywouldbemostbenefited。Thiswoulddependontheplayofinternationaldemand。Costofcarriagehasoneeffectmore。Butforit,everycommoditywould(iftradebesupposedfree)beeitherregularlyimportedorregularlyexported。A
countrywouldmakenothingforitselfwhichitdidnotalsomakeforothercountries。Butinconsequenceofcostofcarriagetherearemanythings,especiallybulkyarticles,whichevery,oralmosteverycountryproduceswithinitself。Afterexportingthethingsinwhichitcanemployitselfmostadvantageously,andimportingthoseinwhichitisunderthegreatestdisadvantage,therearemanylyingbetween,ofwhichtherelativecostofproductioninthatandinothercountriesdifferssolittle,thatthecostofcarriagewouldabsorbmorethanthewholesavingincostofproductionwhichwouldbeobtainedbyimportingoneandexportinganother。Thisisthecasewithnumerouscommoditiesofcommonconsumption;includingthecoarserqualitiesofmanyarticlesoffoodandmanufacture,ofwhichthefinerkindsarethesubjectofextensiveinternationaltraffic。
4。Letusnowintroduceagreaternumberofcommoditiesthanthetwowehavehithertosupposed。Letclothandlinen,however,bestillthearticlesofwhichthecomparativecostofproductioninEnglandandinGermanydiffersthemost;sothatiftheywereconfinedtotwocommodities,thesewouldbethetwowhichitwouldbemosttheirinteresttoexchange。Wewillnowagainomitcostofcarriage,which,havingbeenshownnottoaffecttheessentialsofthequestion,doesbutembarrassunnecessarilythestatementofit。Letussuppose,then,thatthedemandofEnglandforlineniseithersomuchgreaterthanthatofGermanyforcloth,orsomuchmoreextensiblebycheapness,thatifEnglandhadnocommoditybutclothwhichGermanywouldtake,thedemandofEnglandwouldforceupthetermsofinterchangeto10yardsofclothforonly16oflinen,sothatEnglandwouldgainonlythedifferencebetween15and16,Germanythedifferencebetween16
and20。ButletusnowsupposethatEnglandhasalsoanothercommodity,sayiron,whichisindemandinGermany,andthatthequantityofironwhichisofequalvalueinEnglandwith10yardsofcloth,(letuscallthisquantityahundredweight)will,ifproducedinGermany,costasmuchlabouras18yardsoflinen,sothatifofferedbyEnglandfor17,itwillunderselltheGermanproducer。Inthesecircumstances,linenwillnotbeforceduptotherateof16yardsfor10ofcloth,butwillstop,supposeat17;foralthough,atthatrateofinterchange,GermanywillnottakeenoughclothtopayforallthelinenrequiredbyEngland,shewilltakeironforthereminder,anditisthesamethingtoEnglandwhethershegivesahundredweightofironor10yardsofcloth,bothbeingmadeatthesamecost。IfwenowsuperaddcoalsorcottonsonthesideofEngland,andwine,orcorn,ortimber,onthesideofGermany,itwillmakenodifferenceintheprinciple。Theexportsofeachcountrymustexactlypayfortheimports;meaningnowtheaggregateexportsandimports,notthoseofparticularcommoditiestakensingly。Theproduceoffiftydays’Englishlabour,whetherincloth,coals,iron,oranyotherexports,willexchangefortheproduceofforty,orfifty,orsixtydays’Germanlabour,inlinen,wine,corn,ortimber,accordingtotheinternationaldemand。Thereissomeproportionatwhichthedemandofthetwocountriesforeachother’sproductswillexactlycorrespond:sothatthethingssuppliedbyEnglandtoGermanywillbecompletelypaidfor,andnomore,bythosesuppliedbyGermanytoEngland。ThisaccordinglywillbetheratioinwhichtheproduceofEnglishandtheproduceofGermanlabourwillexchangeforoneanother。
If,therefore,itbeaskedwhatcountrydrawstoitselfthegreatestshareoftheadvantageofanytradeitcarrieson,theansweris,thecountryforwhoseproductionsthereisinothercountriesthegreatestdemand,andademandthemostsusceptibleofincreasefromadditionalcheapness。Insofarastheproductionsofanycountrypossessthisproperty,thecountryobtainsallforeigncommoditiesatlesscost。Itgetsitsimportscheaper,thegreatertheintensityofthedemandinforeigncountriesforitsexports。Italsogetsitsimportscheaper,thelesstheextentandintensityofitsowndemandforthem。Themarketischeapesttothosewhosedemandissmall。Acountrywhichdesiresfewforeignproductions,andonlyalimitedquantityofthem,whileitsowncommoditiesareingreatrequestinforeigncountries,willobtainitslimitedimportsatextremelysmallcost,thatis,inexchangefortheproduceofaverysmallquantityofitslabourandcapital。
Lastly,havingintroducedmorethantheoriginaltwocommoditiesintothehypothesis,letusalsointroducemorethantheoriginaltwocountries。AfterthedemandofEnglandforthelinenofGermanyhasraisedtherateofinterchangeto10yardsofclothfor16oflinen,supposeatradeopenedbetweenEnglandandsomeothercountrywhichalsoexportslinen。AndletussupposethatifEnglandhadnotradebutwiththisthirdcountry,theplayofinternationaldemandwouldenablehertoobtainfromit,for10yardsofclothoritsequivalent,17yardsoflinen。
SheevidentlywouldnotgoonbuyinglinenfromGermanyattheformerrate:Germanywouldbeundersold,andmustconsenttogive17yards,liketheothercountry。Inthiscase,thecircumstancesofproductionandofdemandinthethirdcountryaresupposedtobeinthemselvesmoreadvantageoustoEnglandthanthecircumstancesofGermany;butthissuppositionisnotnecessary:
wemightsupposethatifthetradewithGermanydidnotexist,EnglandwouldbeobligedtogivetotheothercountrythesameadvantageoustermswhichshegivestoGermany;10yardsofclothfor16,orevenlessthan16,oflinen。Evenso,theopeningofthethirdcountrymakesagreatdifferenceinfavourofEngland。
ThereisnowadoublemarketforEnglishexports,whilethedemandofEnglandforlinenisonlywhatitwasbefore。ThisnecessarilyobtainsforEnglandmoreadvantageoustermsofinterchange。Thetwocountries,requiringmuchmoreofherproducethanwasrequiredbyeitheralone,must,inordertoobtainit,forceanincreaseddemandfortheirexports,byofferingthematalowervalue。
Itdeservesnotice,thatthiseffectinfavourofEnglandfromtheopeningofanothermarketforherexports,willequallybeproducedeventhoughthecountryfromwhichthedemandcomesshouldhavenothingtosellwhichEnglandiswillingtotake。
Supposethatthethirdcountry,thoughrequiringclothorironfromEngland,producesnolinen,noranyotherarticlewhichisindemandthere。Shehoweverproducesexportablearticles,orshewouldhavenomeansofpayingforimports:herexports,thoughnotsuitabletotheEnglishconsumer,canfindamarketsomewhere。Asweareonlysupposingthreecountries,wemustassumehertofindthismarketinGermany,andtopayforwhatsheimportsfromEnglandbyordersonherGermancustomers。
Germany,therefore,besideshavingtopayforherownimports,nowowesadebttoEnglandonaccountofthethirdcountry,andthemeansforbothpurposesmustbederivedfromherexportableproduce。ShemustthereforetenderthatproducetoEnglandontermssufficientlyfavourabletoforceademandequivalenttothisdoubledebt。EverythingwilltakeplacepreciselyasifthethirdcountryhadboughtGermanproducewithherowngoods,andofferedthatproducetoEnglandinexchangeforhers。ThereisanincreaseddemandforEnglishgoods,forwhichGermangoodshavetofurnishthepayment;andthiscanonlybedonebyforcinganincreaseddemandfortheminEngland,thatis,byloweringtheirvalue。Thusanincreaseofdemandforacountry’sexportsinanyforeigncountry,enableshertoobtainmorecheaplyeventhoseimportswhichsheprocuresfromotherquarters。Andconversely,anincreaseofherowndemandforanyforeigncommoditycompelsher,caeterisparibus,topaydearerforallforeigncommodities。
Thelawwhichwehavenowillustrated,maybeappropriatelynamed,theEquationofInternationalDemand。Itmaybeconciselystatedasfollows。Theproduceofacountryexchangesfortheproduceofothercountries,atsuchvaluesasarerequiredinorderthatthewholeofherexportsmayexactlypayforthewholeofherimports。ThislawofInternationalValuesisbutanextensionofthemoregenerallawofValue,whichwecalledtheEquationofSupplyandDemand。(1*)Wehaveseenthatthevalueofacommodityalwayssoadjustsitselfastobringthedemandtotheexactlevelofthesupply。Butalltrade,eitherbetweennationsorindividuals,isaninterchangeofcommodities,inwhichthethingsthattheyrespectivelyhavetosell,constitutealsotheirmeansofpurchase:thesupplybroughtbytheoneconstituteshisdemandforwhatisbroughtbytheother。Sothatsupplyanddemandarebutanotherexpressionforreciprocaldemand:andtosaythatvaluewilladjustitselfsoastoequalizedemandwithsupply,isinfacttosaythatitwilladjustitselfsoastoequalizethedemandononesidewiththedemandontheother。
5。TotracetheconsequencesofthislawofInternationalValuesthroughtheirwideramifications,wouldoccupymorespacethancanbeheredevotedtosuchapurpose。ButthereisoneofitsapplicationswhichIwillnotice,asbeinginitselfnotunimportant,asbearingonthequestionwhichwilloccupyusinthenextchapter,andespeciallyasconducingtothemorefullandclearunderstandingofthelawitself。
Wehaveseenthatthevalueatwhichacountrypurchasesaforeigncommodity,doesnotconformtothecostofproductioninthecountryfromwhichthecommoditycomes。Supposenowachangeinthatcostofproduction;animprovement,forexample,intheprocessofmanufacture。Willthebenefitoftheimprovementbefullyparticipatedinbyothercountries?Willthecommoditybesoldasmuchcheapertoforeigners,asitisproducedcheaperathome?Thisquestion,andtheconsiderationswhichmustbeenteredintoinordertoresolveit,arewelladaptedtotrytheworthofthetheory。
Letusfirstsuppose,thattheimprovementisofanaturetocreateanewbranchofexport:tomakeforeignersresorttothecountryforacommoditywhichtheyhadpreviouslyproducedathome。Onthissupposition,theforeigndemandfortheproductionsofthecountryisincreased;whichnecessarilyalterstheinternationalvaluestoitsadvantage,andtothedisadvantageofforeigncountries,who,therefore,thoughtheyparticipateinthebenefitofthenewproduct,mustpurchasethatbenefitbypayingforalltheotherproductionsofthecountryatadearerratethanbefore。Howmuchdearer,willdependonthedegreenecessaryforre—establishing,underthesenewconditions,theEquationofInternationalDemand。Theseconsequencesfollowinaveryobviousmannerfromthelawofinternationalvalues,andIshallnotoccupyspaceinillustratingthem,butshallpasstothemorefrequentcase,ofanimprovementwhichdoesnotcreateanewarticleofexport,butlowersthecostofproductionofsomethingwhichthecountryalreadyexported。
Itbeingadvantageous,indiscussionsofthiscomplicatednature,toemploydefinitenumericalamounts,weshallreturntoouroriginalexample。Tenyardsofcloth,ifproducedinGermany,wouldrequirethesameamountoflabourandcapitalastwentyyardsoflinen;butbytheplayofinternationaldemand,theycanbeobtainedfromEnglandforseventeen。Supposenow,thatbyamechanicalimprovementmadeinGermany,andnotcapableofbeingtransferredtoEngland,thesamequantityoflabourandcapitalwhichproducedtwentyyardsoflinen,isenabledtoproducethirty。Linenfallsone—thirdinvalueintheGermanmarket,ascomparedwithothercommoditiesproducedinGermany。Willitalsofallone—thirdascomparedwithEnglishcloth,thusgivingtoEngland,incommonwithGermany,thefullbenefitoftheimprovement?Or(oughtwenotrathertosay),sincethecosttoEnglandofobtaininglinenwasnotregulatedbythecosttoGermanyofproducingit,andsinceEngland,accordingly,didnotgettheentirebenefitevenofthetwentyyardswhichGermanycouldhavegivenfortenyardsofcloth,butonlyobtainedseventeen——whyshouldshenowobtainmore,merelybecausethistheoreticallimitisremovedtendegreesfurtheroff?
Itisevidentthatintheoutset,theimprovementwilllowerthevalueoflineninGermany,inrelationtoallothercommoditiesintheGermanmarket,including,amongtherest,eventheimportedcommodity,cloth。If10yardsofclothpreviouslyexchangedfor17yardsoflinen,theywillnowexchangeforhalfasmuchmore,or251/2yards。Butwhethertheywillcontinuetodoso,willdependontheeffectwhichthisincreasedcheapnessoflinenproducesontheinternationaldemand。ThedemandforlineninEnglandcouldscarcelyfailtobeincreased。Butitmightbeincreasedeitherinproportiontothecheapness,orinagreaterproportionthanthecheapness,orinalessproportion。
Ifthedemandwasincreasedinthesameproportionwiththecheapness,Englandwouldtakeasmanytimes251/2yardsoflinen,asthenumberoftimes17yardswhichshetookpreviously。
Shewouldexpendinlinenexactlyasmuchofcloth,oroftheequivalentsofcloth,asmuchinshortofthecollectiveincomeofherpeople,asshedidbefore。Germanyonherpart,wouldprobablyrequire,atthatrateofinterchange,thesamequantityofclothasbefore,becauseitwouldinrealitycostherexactlyasmuch;251/2yardsoflinenbeingnowofthesamevalueinhermarket,as17yardswerebefore。Inthiscase,therefore,10
yardsofclothfor251/2oflinenistherateofinterchangewhichunderthesenewconditionswouldrestoretheequationofinternationaldemand;andEnglandwouldobtainlinenone—thirdcheaperthanbefore,beingthesameadvantageaswasobtainedbyGermany。
Itmighthappen,however,thatthisgreatcheapeningoflinenwouldincreasethedemandforitinEnglandinagreaterratiothantheincreaseofcheapness;andthatifshebeforewanted1000times17yards,shewouldnowrequiremorethan1000times251/2yardstosatisfyherdemand。Ifso,theequationofinternationaldemandcannotestablishitselfatthatrateofinterchange;topayforthelinenEnglandmustofferclothonmoreadvantageousterms;say,forexample,10yardsfor21oflinen;sothatEnglandwillnothavethefullbenefitoftheimprovementintheproductionoflinen,whileGermany,inadditiontothatbenefit,willalsopaylessforcloth。Butagain,itispossiblethatEnglandmightnotdesiretoincreaseherconsumptionoflineninevensogreataproportionasthatoftheincreasedcheapness;shemightnotdesiresogreataquantityas1000times251/2yards:andinthatcaseGermanymustforceademand,byofferingmorethan251/2yardsoflinenfor10ofcloth:linenwillbecheapenedinEnglandinastillgreaterdegreethaninGermany;whileGermanywillobtainclothonmoreunfavourableterms;andatahigherexchangevaluethanbefore。
Afterwhathasalreadybeensaid,itisnotnecessarytoparticularizethemannerinwhichtheseresultsmightbemodifiedbyintroducingintothehypothesisothercountriesandothercommodities。Thereisafurthercircumstancebywhichtheymayalsobemodified。InthecasesupposedtheconsumersofGermanyhavehadapartoftheirincomessetatlibertybytheincreasedcheapnessoflinen,whichtheymayindeedexpendinincreasingtheirconsumptionofthatarticle,butwhichtheymaylikewiseexpendinotherarticles,andamongothers,inclothorotherimportedcommodities。Thiswouldbeanadditionalelementintheinternationaldemand,andwouldmodifymoreorlessthetermsofinterchange。
Ofthethreepossiblevarietiesintheinfluenceofcheapnessondemand,whichisthemoreprobable——thatthedemandwouldbeincreasedmorethanthecheapness,asmuchasthecheapness,orlessthanthecheapness?Thisdependsonthenatureoftheparticularcommodity,andonthetastesofpurchasers。Whenthecommodityisoneingeneralrequest,andthefallofitpricebringsitwithinreachofamuchlargerclassofincomesthanbefore,thedemandisoftenincreasedinagreaterratiothanthefallofprice,andalargersumofmoneyisonthewholeexpendedinthearticle。Suchwasthecasewithcoffee,whenitspricewasloweredbysuccessivereductionsoftaxation;andsuchwouldprobablybethecasewithsugar,wine,andalargeclassofcommoditieswhich,thoughnotnecessaries,arelargelyconsumed,andinwhichmanyconsumersindulgewhenthearticlesarecheapandeconomizewhentheyaredear。Butitmorefrequentlyhappensthatwhenacommodityfallsinprice,lessmoneyisspentinitthanbefore:agreaterquantityisconsumed,butnotsogreatavalue。Theconsumerwhosavesmoneybythecheapnessofthearticle,willbelikelytoexpendpartofthesavinginincreasinghisconsumptionofotherthings:andunlessthelowpriceattractalargeclassofnewpurchaserswhowereeithernotconsumersofthearticleatall,oronlyinsmallquantityandoccasionally,alessaggregatesumwillbeexpendedonit。
Speakinggenerally,therefore,thethirdofourthreecasesisthemostprobable:andanimprovementinanexportablearticleislikelytobeasbeneficial(ifnotmorebeneficial)toforeigncountries,astothecountrywherethearticleisproduced。
6。Thusfarhadthetheoryofinternationalvaluesbeencarriedinthefirstandsecondeditionsofthiswork。Butintelligentcriticisms(chieflythoseofmyfriendMrWilliamThornton),andsubsequentfurtherinvestigation,haveshownthatthedoctrinestatedintheprecedingpages,thoughcorrectasfarasitgoes,isnotyetthecompletetheoryofthesubjectmatter。
Ithasbeenshownthattheexportsandimportsbetweenthetwocountries(or,ifwesupposemorethantwo,betweeneachcountryandtheworld)mustintheaggregatepayforeachother,andmustthereforebeexchangedforoneanotheratsuchvaluesaswillbecompatiblewiththeequationofinternationaldemand。
Thatthis,however,doesnotfurnishthecompletelawofthephenomenon,appearsfromthefollowingconsideration:thatseveraldifferentratesofinternationalvaluemayallequallyfulfiltheconditionsofthislaw。
Thesuppositionwas,thatEnglandcouldproduce10yardsofclothwiththesamelabouras15oflinen,andGermanywiththesamelabouras20oflinen;thatatradewasopenedbetweenthetwocountries;thatEnglandthenceforthconfinedherproductiontocloth,andGermanytolinen;and,thatif10yardsofclothshouldthenceforthexchangefor17oflinen,EnglandandGermanywouldexactlysupplyeachother’sdemand:that,forinstance,ifEnglandwantedatthatprice17,000yardsoflinen,Germanywouldwantexactlythe10,000yardsofcloth,which,atthatprice,Englandwouldberequiredtogiveforthelinen。Underthesesuppositionsitappeared,that10clothfor17linen,wouldbe,inpointoffact,theinternationalvalues。
Butitisquitepossiblethatsomeotherrate,suchas10
clothfor18linen,mightalsofulfiltheconditionsoftheequationofinternationaldemand。Supposethatatthislastrate,Englandwouldwantmorelinenthanattherateof10for17,butnotintheratioofthecheapness;thatshewouldnotwantthe18,000whichshecouldnowbuywith10,000yardsofcloth,butwouldbecontentwith17,500,forwhichshewouldpay(atthenewrateof10for18)9722yardsofcloth。Germany,again,havingtopaydearerforcloththanwhenitcouldbeboughtat10for17,wouldprobablyreduceherconsumptiontoanamountbelow10,000
yards,perhapstotheverysamenumber,9722。UndertheseconditionstheEquationofInternationalDemandwouldstillexist。Thus,therateof10for17,andthatof10for18,wouldequallysatisfytheEquationofDemand:andmanyotherratesofinterchangemightsatisfyitinlikemanner。Itisconceivablethattheconditionsmightbeequallysatisfiedbyeverynumericalratewhichcouldbesupposed。Thereisstillthereforeaportionofindeterminatenessintherateatwhichtheinternationalvalueswouldadjustthemselves;showingthatthewholeoftheinfluencingcircumstancescannotyethavebeentakenintoaccount。
7。Itwillbefoundthattosupplythisdeficiency,wemusttakeintoconsiderationnotonly,aswehavealreadydone,thequantitiesdemandedineachcountry,oftheimportedcommodities;
butalsotheextentofthemeansofsupplyingthatdemand,whicharesetatlibertyineachcountrybythechangeinthedirectionofitsindustry。
Toillustratethispointitwillbenecessarytochoosemoreconvenientnumbersthanthosewhichwehavehithertoemployed。
LetitbesupposedthatinEngland100yardsofcloth,previouslytothetrade,exchangedfor100oflinen,butthatinGermany100
ofclothexchangedfor200oflinen。Whenthetradewasopened,EnglandwouldsupplyclothtoGermany,GermanylinentoEngland,atanexchangevaluewhichwoulddependpartlyontheelementalreadydiscussed,viz。thecomparativedegreeinwhich,inthetwocountries,increasedcheapnessoperatesinincreasingthedemand;andpartlyonsomeotherelementnotyettakenintoaccount。Inordertoisolatethisunknownelement,itwillbenecessarytomakesomedefiniteandinvariablesuppositioninregardtotheknownelement。Letusthereforeassume,thattheinfluenceofcheapnessondemandconformstosomesimplelaw,commontobothcountriesandtobothcommodities。Asthesimplestandmostconvenient,letussupposethatinbothcountriesanygivenincreaseofcheapnessproducesanexactlyproportionalincreaseofconsumption:or,inotherwords,thatthevalueexpendedinthecommodity,thecostincurredforthesakeofobtainingit,isalwaysthesame,whetherthatcostaffordsagreaterorasmallerquantityofthecommodity。
LetusnowsupposethatEngland,previouslytothetrade,requiredamillionofyardsoflinen,whichwereworthattheEnglishcostofproduction,amillionyardsofcloth。Byturningallthelabourandcapitalwithwhichthatlinenwasproduced,totheproductionofcloth,shewouldproduceforexportationamillionyardsofcloth。SupposethatthisistheexactquantitywhichGermanyisaccustomedtoconsume。EnglandcandisposeofallthisclothinGermanyattheGermanprice;shemustconsentindeedtotakealittlelessuntilshehasdriventheGermanproducerfromthemarket,butassoonasthisiseffected,shecansellhermillionofclothfortwomillionsoflinen;beingthequantitythattheGermanclothiersareenabledtomake,bytransferringtheirwholelabourandcapitalfromclothtolinen。
ThusEnglandwouldgainthewholebenefitofthetrade,andGermanynothing。Thiswouldbeperfectlyconsistentwiththeequationofinternationaldemand:sinceEngland(accordingtothehypothesisintheprecedingparagraph)nowrequirestwomillionsoflinen(beingabletogetthematthesamecostatwhichshepreviouslyobtainedonlyone),whilethepricesinGermanynotbeingaltered,Germanyrequiresasbeforeexactlyamillionofcloth,andcanobtainitbyemployingthelabourandcapitalsetatlibertyfromtheproductionofcloth,inproducingthetwomillionsoflinenrequiredbyEngland。
ThusfarwehavesupposedthattheadditionalclothwhichEnglandcouldmake,bytransferringtocloththewholeofthecapitalpreviouslyemployedinmakinglinen,wasexactlysufficienttosupplythewholeofGermany’sexistingdemand。Butsupposenextthatitismorethansufficient。SupposethatwhileEnglandcouldmakewithherliberatedcapitalamillionyardsofclothforexportation,theclothwhichGermanyhadheretoforerequiredwas800,000yardsonly,equivalentattheGermancostofproductionto1,600,000yardsoflinen。EnglandthereforecouldnotdisposeofawholemillionofclothinGermanyattheGermanprices。Yetshewants,whethercheapordear(byoursupposition),asmuchlinenascanbeboughtforamillionofcloth:andsincethiscanonlybeobtainedfromGermany,orbythemoreexpensiveprocessofproductionathome,theholdersofthemillionofclothwillbeforcedbyeachother’scompetitiontoofferittoGermanyonanyterms(shortoftheEnglishcostofproduction)whichwillinduceGermanytotakethewhole。Whattermsthesewouldbe,thesuppositionwehavemadeenablesusexactlytodefine。The800,000yardsofclothwhichGermanyconsumed,costhertheequivalentof1,600,000linen,andthatinvariablecostiswhatsheiswillingtoexpendincloth,whetherthequantityitobtainsforherbemoreorless。Englandtherefore,toinduceGermanytotakeamillionofcloth,mustofferitfor1,600,000oflinen。Theinternationalvalueswillthusbe100clothfor160linen,intermediatebetweentheratioofthecostsofproductioninEnglandandthatofthecostsofproductioninGermany:andthetwocountrieswilldividethebenefitofthetrade,Englandgainingintheaggregate600,000
yardsoflinen,andGermanybeingricherby200,000additionalyardsofcloth。
Letusnowstretchthelastsuppositionstillfarther,andsupposethattheclothpreviouslyconsumedbyGermanywasnotonlylessthanthemillionyardswhichEnglandisenabledtofurnishbydiscontinuingherproductionoflinen,butlessinthefullproportionofEngland’sadvantageintheproduction,thatis,thatGermanyonlyrequiredhalfamillion。Inthiscase,byceasingaltogethertoproducecloth,Germanycanaddamillion,butamilliononly,toherproductionoflinen,andthismillion,beingtheequivalentofwhatthehalfmillionpreviouslycosther,isallthatshecanbeinducedbyanydegreeofcheapnesstoexpendincloth。Englandwillbeforcedbyherowncompetitiontogiveawholemillionofclothforthismillionoflinen,justasshewasforcedintheprecedingcasetogiveitfor1,600,000。
ButEnglandcouldhaveproducedatthesamecostamillionyardsoflinenforherself。Englandthereforederives,inthiscase,noadvantagefromtheinternationaltrade。Germanygainsthewhole;
obtainingamillionofclothinsteadofhalfamillion,atwhatthehalfmillionpreviouslycosther。Germany,inshort,isinthisthirdcase,exactlyinthesamesituationasEnglandwasinthefirstcase;whichmayeasilybeverifiedbyreversingthefigures。
Asthegeneralresultofthethreecases,itmaybelaiddownasatheorem,thatunderthesuppositionwehavemadeofademandexactlyinproportiontothecheapness,thelawofinternationalvaluewillbeasfollows:——
ThewholeoftheclothwhichEnglandcanmakewiththecapitalpreviouslydevotedtolinen,willexchangeforthewholeofthelinenwhichGermanycanmakewiththecapitalpreviouslydevotedtocloth。
Or,stillmoregenerally,Thewholeofthecommoditieswhichthetwocountriescanrespectivelymakeforexportation,withthelabourandcapitalthrownoutofemploymentbyimportation,willexchangeagainstoneanother。
Thislaw,andthethreedifferentpossibilitiesarisingfromitinrespecttothedivisionoftheadvantage,maybeconvenientlygeneralizedbymeansofalgebraicalsymbols,asfollows:LetthequantityofclothwhichEnglandcanmakewiththelabourandcapitalwithdrawnfromtheproductionoflinen,be=
n。
LettheclothpreviouslyrequiredbyGermany(attheGermancostofproduction)be=m。
Thennofclothwillalwaysexchangeforexactly2moflinen。
Consequentlyifn=m,thewholeadvantagewillbeonthesideofEngland。
Ifn=2m,thewholeadvantagewillbeonthesideofGermany。
Ifnbegreaterthanm,butlessthan2m,thetwocountrieswillsharetheadvantage;Englandgetting2moflinenwhereshebeforegotonlyn;Germanygettingnofclothwhereshebeforegotonlym。Itisalmostsuperfluoustoobservethatthefigure2
standswhereitdoes,onlybecauseitisthefigurewhichexpressestheadvantageofGermanyoverEnglandinlinenasestimatedincloth,and(whatisthesamething)ofEnglandoverGermanyinclothasestimatedinlinen。IfwehadsupposedthatinGermany,beforethetrade,100ofclothexchangedfor1000
insteadof200oflinen,thenn(afterthetradecommenced)wouldhaveexchangedfor10minsteadof2m。Ifinsteadof1000or200
wehadsupposedonly150,nwouldhaveexchangedforonly3/2m。
If(infine)thecostvalueofcloth(asestimatedinlinen)inGermany,exceedsthecostvaluesimilarlyestimatedinEngland,intheratioofptoq,thenwilln,aftertheopeningofthetrade,exchangeforp/qm。(2*)
8。WehavenowarrivedatwhatseemsalawofInternationalValues,ofgreatsimplicityandgenerality。Butwehavedonesobysettingoutfromapurelyarbitraryhypothesisrespectingtherelationbetweendemandandcheapness。Wehaveassumedtheirrelationtobefixed,thoughitisessentiallyvariable。Wehavesupposedthateveryincreaseofcheapnessproducesanexactlyproportionalextensionofdemand;inotherwords,thatthesameinvariablevalueislaidoutinacommoditywhetheritbecheapordear;andthelawwhichwehaveinvestigatedholdsgoodonlyonthishypothesis,orsomeotherpracticallyequivalenttoit。
Letusnow,therefore,combinethetwovariableelementsofthequestion,thevariationsofeachofwhichwehaveconsideredseparately。Letussupposetherelationbetweendemandandcheapnesstovary,andtobecomesuchaswouldpreventtheruleofinterchangelaiddowninthelasttheoremfromsatisfyingtheconditionsoftheEquationofInternationalDemand。Letitbesupposed,forinstance,thatthedemandofEnglandforlinenisexactlyproportionaltothecheapness,butthatofGermanyforcloth,notproportional。Toreverttothesecondofourthreecases,thecaseinwhichEnglandbydiscontinuingtheproductionoflinencouldproduceforexportationamillionyardsofcloth,andGermanybyceasingtoproduceclothcouldproduceanadditional1,600,000yardsoflinen。Iftheoneofthesequantitiesexactlyexchangedfortheother,thedemandofEnglandwouldonourpresentsuppositionbeexactlysatisfied,forsherequiresallthelinenwhichcanbegotforamillionyardsofcloth:butGermanyperhaps,thoughsherequired800,000clothatacostequivalentto1,600,000linen,yetwhenshecangetamillionofclothatthesamecost,maynotrequirethewholemillion;ormayrequiremorethanamillion。First,lethernotrequiresomuch;butonlyasmuchasshecannowbuyfor1,500,000linen。Englandwillstillofferamillionforthese1,500,000;buteventhismaynotinduceGermanytotakesomuchasamillion;andifEnglandcontinuestoexpendexactlythesameaggregatecostonlinenwhateverbetheprice,shewillhavetosubmittotakeforhermillionofclothanyquantityoflinen(notlessthanamillion)whichmayberequisitetoinduceGermanytotakeamillionofcloth。Supposethistobe1,400,000
yards。Englandhasnowreapedfromthetradeagainnotof600,000butonlyof400,000yards;whileGermany,besideshavingobtainedanextra200,000yardsofcloth,hasobtaineditwithonlyseven—eighthsofthelabourandcapitalwhichshepreviouslyexpendedinsupplyingherselfwithcloth,andmayexpendtheremainderinincreasingherownconsumptionoflinen,orofanyothercommodity。
SupposeonthecontrarythatGermany,attherateofamillionclothfor1,600,000linen,requiresmorethanamillionyardsofcloth。Englandhavingonlyamillionwhichshecangivewithouttrenchinguponthequantityshepreviouslyreservedforherself,Germanymustbidfortheextraclothatahigherratethan160for100,untilshereachesarate(say170for100)
whichwilleitherbringdownherowndemandforclothtothelimitofamillion,orelsetemptEnglandtopartwithsomeoftheclothshepreviouslyconsumedathome。
Letusnextsupposethattheproportionalityofdemandtocheapness,insteadofholdinggoodinonecountrybutnotintheother,doesnotholdgoodineithercountry,andthatthedeviationisofthesamekindinboth;that,forinstance,neitherofthetwoincreasesitsdemandinadegreeequivalenttotheincreaseofcheapness。Onthissupposition,attherateofonemillionclothfor1,600,000linen,Englandwillnotwantsomuchas1,600,000linen,norGermanysomuchasamillioncloth:
andiftheyfallshortofthatamountinexactlythesamedegree:
ifEnglandonlywantslinentotheamountofnine—tenthsof1,600,000(1,440,000),andGermanyonlyninehundredthousandofcloth,theinterchangewillcontinuetotakeplaceatthesamerate。AndsoifEnglandwantsatenthmorethan1,600,000,andGermanyatenthmorethanamillion。Thiscoincidence(which,itistobeobserved,supposesdemandtoextendcheapnessinacorresponding,butnotinanequaldegree(3*))evidentlycouldnotexistunlessbymereaccident:andinanyothercase,theequationofinternationaldemandwouldrequireadifferentadjustmentofinternationalvalues。
Theonlygenerallaw,then,whichcanbelaiddown,isthis。
Thevaluesatwhichacountryexchangesitsproducewithforeigncountriesdependontwothings:first,ontheamountandextensibilityoftheirdemandforitscommodities,compiledwithitsdemandfortheirs;andsecondly,onthecapitalwhichithastospare,fromtheproductionofdomesticcommoditiesforitsownconsumption。Themoretheforeigndemandforitscommoditiesexceedsitsdemandforforeigncommodities,andthelesscapitalitcanspiletoproduceforforeignmarkets,compiledwithwhatforeignersspiletoproduceforitsmarkets,themorefavourabletoitwillbethetermsofinterchange:thatis,themoreitwillobtainofforeigncommoditiesinreturnforagivenquantityofitsown。
Butthesetwoinfluencingcircumstancesareinrealityreducibletoone:forthecapitalwhichacountryhastospilefromtheproductionofdomesticcommoditiesforitsownuse,isinproportiontoitsowndemandforforeigncommodities:whateverproportionofitscollectiveincomeitexpendsinpurchasesfromabroad,thatsameproportionofitscapitalisleftwithoutahomemarketforitsproductions。Thenewelement,therefore,whichforthesakeofscientificcorrectnesswehaveintroducedintothetheoryofinternationalvalues,doesnotseemtomakeanyverymaterialdifferenceinthepracticalresult。Itstillappearsthatthecountrieswhichcarryontheirforeigntradeonthemostadvantageousterms,arethosewhosecommoditiesaremostindemandbyforeigncountries,andwhichhavethemselvestheleastdemandforforeigncommodities。Fromwhich,amongotherconsequences,itfollows,thattherichestcountries,caeterisparibus,gaintheleastbyagivenamountofforeigncommerce:
since,havingagreaterdemandforcommoditiesgenerally,theyarelikelytohaveagreaterdemandforforeigncommodities,andthusmodifythetermsofinterchangetotheirowndisadvantage。
Theiraggregategainsbyforeigntrade,doubtless,aregenerallygreaterthanthoseofpoorercountries,sincetheycarryonagreateramountofsuchtrade,andgainthebenefitofcheapnessonalargerconsumption:buttheirgainislessoneachindividualarticleconsumed。
9。Wenowpasstoanotheressentialpartofthetheoryofthesubject。Therearetwosensesinwhichacountryobtainscommoditiescheaperbyforeigntrade;inthesenseofValue,andinthesenseofCost。Itgetsthemcheaperinthefirstsense,bytheirfallinginvaluerelativelytootherthings:thesamequantityofthemexchanging,inthecountry,forasmallerquantitythanbeforeoftheotherproduceofthecountry。Toreverttoouroriginalfigures;inEngland,allconsumersoflinenobtained,afterthetradewasopened,17orsomegreaternumberofyardsforthesamequantityofallotherthingsforwhichtheybeforeobtainedonly15。Thedegreeofcheapness,inthissenseoftheterm,dependsontheclawsofInternationalDemand,socopiouslyillustratedintheprecedingsections。Butintheothersense,thatofCost,acountrygetsacommoditycheaperwhenitobtainsagreaterquantityofthecommoditywiththesameexpenditureoflabourandcapital。Inthissenseoftheterm,cheapnessinagreatmeasuredependsuponacauseofadifferentnature:acountrygetsitsimportscheaper,inproportiontothegeneralproductivenessofitsdomesticindustry;tothegeneralefficiencyofitslabour。Thelabourofonecountrymaybe,asawhole,muchmoreefficientthanthatofanother:allormostofthecommoditiescapableofbeingproducedinboth,maybeproducedinoneatlessabsolutecostthanintheother;which,aswehaveseen,willnotnecessitypreventthetwocountriesfromexchangingcommodities。Thethingswhichthemorefavouredcountrywillimportfromothers,areofcoursethoseinwhichitisleastsuperior;butbyimportingthemitacquires,eveninthosecommodities,thesameadvantagewhichitpossessesinthearticlesitgivesinexchangeforthem。Thusthecountrieswhichobtaintheirownproductionsatleastcost,alsogettheirimportsatleastcost。
Thiswillbemadestillmoreobviousifwesupposetwocompetingcountries。EnglandsendsclothtoGermany,andgives10
yardsofitfor17yardsoflinen,orforsomethingelsewhichinGermanyistheequivalentofthose17yards。Anothercountry,asforexampleFrance,doesthesame。Theonegiving10yardsofclothforacertainquantityofGermancommodities,somusttheother:if,therefore,inEngland,these10yardsareproducedbyonlyhalfasmuchlabourasthatbywhichtheyareproducedinFrance,thelinenorothercommoditiesofGermanywillcosttoEnglandonlyhalftheamountoflabourwhichtheywillcosttoFrance。EnglandwouldthusobtainherimportsatlesscostthanFrance,intheratioofthegreaterefficiencyofherlabourintheproductionofcloth:whichmightbetaken,inthecasesupposed,asanapproximateestimateoftheefficiencyofherlabourgenerally;sinceFrance,aswellasEngland,byselectingclothasherarticleofexport,wouldhaveshownthatwithheralsoitwasthecommodityinwhichlabourwasrelativelythemostefficient。Itfollows,therefore,thateverycountrygetsitsimportsatlesscost,inproportiontothegeneralefficiencyofitslabour。
ThispropositionwasfirstclearlyseenandexpoundedbyMr。
Senior,(4*)butonlyasapplicabletotheimportationofthepreciousmetals。Ithinkitimportanttopointoutthatthepropositionholdsequallytrueofallotherimportedcommodities;
andfurther,thatitisonlyaportionofthetruth。For,inthecasesupposed,thecosttoEnglandofthelinenwhichshepaysforwithtenyardsofcloth,doesnotdependsolelyuponthecosttoherselfoftenyardsofcloth,butpartlyalsouponhowmanyyardsoflinensheobtainsinexchangeforthem。Whatherimportscosttoherisafunctionoftwovariables;thequantityofherowncommoditieswhichshegivesforthem,andthecostofthosecommodities。Ofthese,thelastalonedependsontheefficiencyofherlabour:thefirstdependsonthelawofinternationalvalues;thatis,ontheintensityandextensibilityoftheforeigndemandforhercommodities,comparedwithherdemandforforeigncommodities。