Miscellany: Notes On Political Economy: Effects Of Increased...

The rcsult of mdustry applied to capital, is product, value, or the means of gratifying human desire. The result of increastd productiveness of human iiuluslry, is increased product, value, or means of hnppiness. Supposea man witii the samo labor that lic best ow ed last year, can now raise twice as mnch value, it is evident he wül be able to satisfy bis decires twice as abundantly as he (lid last year. lie wi.ll also have more to cxchange wilh other producer?, and thus add to their happiness. Heneo it is a benefit to a whole neighborhood, for a single member of it to become honestly rich. Suppose every man to be able to raise twice as much with the same industry, the happiness of the hu . man race would be doubled. But the case is made still stronger, whe:: the efïect of competition is taken into account. Competition always reduces the profits of different branches of 'industry to a Icvel. And thus, over the whole world, every instance of increased producliveness, whethcr from ïmprovements in machinery, or from división of labor, vhet her in out own country, or anothcr country, if ye choope to avail oursclvos of it, enables every man, bypaying the producer the same os before, to procure a lurger amount of values; that is, onables every man to become both richer nnd happier. But the cbjection is frequenlly urged, that the use of labor saving machinery is prejndic cial to the interests of the laboring classes. - But it Will be eeen that the objection to the use of natural agents, wind, steam, water, &c. is not to their use to a certain extent, but to their hnprovement. Men object to the use of a spinning jenny, but not to the use of a Bpinning wheel. They disiike a íake by horse power, bui they do not disiike a rake. Aniijrr wind, or a hand Joom, or a hand rake, is a laborsaving machine; and it invoLvea tiie use ofnaturo.1 agents just as Iruly asa spninng jenny, a power loom, or a horsr rake.- If the use of natural agents be injuiions, we should abandon tliem altogether, and spin', weave, and rake with our fingers. But if thiá would be umvise, 'and we musí use insitrümpnts of some kind, wliy not use the best we can procure ?e ii is onjectca Uiat cvcry improvement in machincry cnablcs tfie work to be dono by fevver hands, and henee mnny persons are I hrown out of employment. In rcply to tliis s t might be asked, wliat is the lestimony of facts, in thia case. Lnprovcments in mi chinery have been goïng on ever since the creation. Has the demond for labor duninished? Improvements have been made extensiveJy in particular districts. llave the laborera, by these means, been driven away; or have they not rather reserted thithcr? Besides, tlie improvcd modo of prodnction alvays reqnircs some labor, and of course a pnrtion cf tliose foimerly cmployetl vi!l still find cmployment. Improvemeuts in machinory are aiso introduccd by slbw degrees. Again, et the change introduccd bc ever so great. it cannot be introduced at once ovtr a wholp nation. And Iaatly, if a new instrument be employed, there ïr.ust be an aulitio:ial munber of men cmployed to maiuifacuire it.Increascd product i veness causes nn increasci demand for labor. Populación follows capital. Tho obvious íenJency.of the use of natura! agenls is to increasc tlio wjigca of laborers in gentral. Vot only so, but it rnises their waes in tliat very department in which the improvement is made. Suppose wJien cotton cloth is fiff.y cenls a yard, onecould afiofd to buy it except those wlio were woitli g 1,000. Suppose, by improvements in mnchinery, it can be produced for twenty five cents a yard, and the class worth ..r00 cucli is just as able to parchase it os íhe olher class. llore, doublé the number of yarda s produced at the same cosr, and of conree tlie laborer would suffer no injury. But the truth is, the five liundrcd dollar class is three or fonr times as lnrLre as the one thousand dollar class.sides thif, tluse w'Iio are wortli six, scven, eight and ninc hundred dollars enn now consume the article, and llius tiie damand for it will bc prodigiously inercased, and inore laborers will be required. The accniacy of this resul!; is coniirmed by facts. Compare ihose siates of socie y in whicli maohinery is not used, wiih thoso in whtch it is used, and inqnirc in which the wages of the hiborerare highest, and in wliicli his habitatinn displays the most comfort- Examine the progrcás of 'Jie mini!f;icturf of cotton, of booli?, of nailí, of pin?, and every oUicr arlicle of common use : and it will bc found that the number of Liborerp Jias increased in proportion to the amount of madiinery introduced. The efiect of increased produclivcness upon consumers, aro these:1. Every consumer is tborcby marie rirher; bi canse, by the ?amo amoimt of labor, hc can procure a gréoiejr ainount of tlie objects of desire. This is the en roe to urn as though his income wcre inercased. 2. Pröductiön is moro perfect. The consumer obtnjns Hot oniy more of tlie same article for tlie same money, but also a beller article. 3. A vast numbcr of aríicles aro Ilius added to the roeans of happiness. All tliat we posses?, above tlie ccomforts of the nakcd savage, is the result of the use of natural agents and of fl visión of labor. 4. By ncreased pfóductiyériés5, leisure is obtained for intel.'ec'jial cultivation. As a result of tbis, discoverics and invcnlions are made, by which a vast acecssinn is obtained to the power of human prodnetiveness. If these positions be correct, we eee how puerilc is the prejudice which frequöhtJy oxists apainst labor-saving macliinery. We see, too, how groundlcss is the opinión ihat education and science' nre without practical benefit. Lnstly, wc see how s'iort-siorlited is that national selfishness which desires to limit and restrict the intercourfo between na:ions: sincu it is ihe interest of each nation to improve, to the uímosí, its own advantages, and to procure, by exch-mo-e with othqr nations. those productions for the creation of which it possesscf, by nature, inferior fuciliies.