第 11 节
作者:
旅游巴士 更新:2024-01-24 16:00 字数:9321
lue of all goods that come under the dominion of that leveling influence。 It determines the value of the products as well as the value of the productive power; which is represented by the cost。 The representatives of the English theory have chosen the figure of the two blades of a pair of shears; in order to show the opposition between the English and Austrian conception of the law of cost。 I gladly follow them in the use of this figure but with the conviction that the interpretation which my English colleague have given to it; must be supplemented as follows: In the case of freely reproducible goods; it is undoubtedly true that the price is fixed at that point where the money marginal utility of the commodity to those desiring to purchase it crosses the line of the costs。 In our example; the last purchaser of wool will be the one whose valuation will correspond with the amount of the cost; or with eighty cents。 In this case it is entirely correct to say that utility (relative marginal utility for those desiring to purchase) and cost operate together in the determination of price; like the two blade of a pair of shears。 But now follows the unavoidable question: What determine the amount of this cost? The amount of the cost is identical with the value of the productive power; and; as a rule; is determined by the money marginal utility of this productive power。 This; of course; has reference to the existing conditions of the demand for and supply of this productive power in the various branches of production。 If in the above formula we substitute for 〃cost〃 this explanation of cost; we would have the following: 〃The price of a definite specie of freely reproducible goods fixes itself in the long run at that point where the money marginal utility; for those who desire to purchase these products; intersects the money marginal utility of all those who desire to purchase in the other communicating branches of production。〃 The figure of the two blade of a pair of shears still holds good。 One of the two blade; whose coming together determine the height of the price of any species of product; is in truth the marginal utility of this particular product。 The other; which we are wont to call 〃cost;〃 is the marginal utility of the products of other communicating branches of production。 Or; according to Wieser; the marginal utility of 〃production related goods〃 (productionsverwandten Guter)。 It is; therefore; utility and not disutility which; as well on the side of supply as of demand; determine the height of the price。 This; too; even where the so…called law of cost plays its role in giving value to goods。 Jevons; therefore; did not exaggerate the importance of the one side; but came very near the truth when he said 〃value depends entirely upon utility。〃 Almost; but not quite entirely; for as I have endeavored to show; and as Jevons well knew; disutility plays a certain part in the determination of value。 A part; however; which; in our actual economical conditions; is quantitatively unimportant。 It occurs in full force only; in the case of the few and unimportant products of our leisure hours。 For the great mass of products which are the outcome of our regular occupation; this disutility either does not appear; or is only a very weak and remote element in the complex standard that determine the〃 height of the cost。〃(42*) If we were to put this roughly into figure; we might say that the ten parts of that blade which represents the demand consist entirely of utility; while of the blade which represents the 〃cost〃; nine parts are utility and only one part disutility。 On the whole then value depends nineteen…twentieths on utility; and only one…twentieth on disutility。 We must now consider a circumstance; which thus far in our argument we have intentionally ignored。 Up to this point we have confined ourselves to those conceptions of the law of cost which come nearest to harmonizing with those of our opponents; namely; those which declare that there is a correspondence between the price and the historically reckoned cost; i。e。; the cost elements; labor and abstinence。 It was only in this way that we could eliminate all those intermediate members; raw material; wear and tear of tools; etc。; which in practice appear as part of the cost; and in common with most of our opponents; speak of labor and abstinence as the determining factors of cost。 We must not; however; forget that there is a second sense; in which the law of cost is susceptible of empirical demonstration; namely; the sense in which the law of cost assert a correspondence between the price and the synchronously reckoned money cost of the entrepreneur。(43*) When we carefully consider the historical and synchronous method of reckoning cost in their relations to each other; it is manifest; that while there is some connection between them; yet they are not entirely the same; either in their content or in the extent of their sway。 The correspondence of the price with the historically reckoned cost involve the satisfying of much more severe and unusual conditions。 The leveling feature; upon which both rules rest; must here operate unhindered through the whole of the complex system of production; down to the last elementary root。 On the other hand; the gravitation of the price; toward the synchronously reckoned money cost of any particular stage of production; merely assume that the leveling influence has free sway in this part of the productive process。 The gravitation toward the synchronously reckoned cost is to a certain degree more readily satisfied。 For this reason it is more frequently operative; and hence there is a wide district; subject to its sway; which is not subject to the sway of the historically reckoned cost。 There are numerous instances in which the synchronously reckoned cost of a single stage of production is effective in determining the price of the product; although there may be no correspondence between the price and the historically reckoned cost。 This may be due to the fact that the leveling influence may be temporarily inoperative through all stage of production; or though free for part of the distance; it may at some point be permanently hindered by some kind of a monopoly。 Let us illustrate this by an example。 The production of one hundred weight of copper costs at a given time ten days of historically reckoned labor at eighty cents a day or eight dollars。 This; of course; enters into the cost of all copper goods; and therefore into the price of copper wire; copper kettle; copper pans; etc。 Now; because of a strong demand for electric wire the hundred weight of copper advances in price from eight to twelve dollars; nothing is more certain than that the coppersmith; the money cost of his material having risen; will advance the price of copper wire; etc。 A copper kettle which weighs one hundred pounds and the production of which involved an expense of six dollars; had in the past a total cost of fourteen dollars; it now has an additional cost of four dollars and so must bring at least eighteen dollars; and this quite independently of the question; whether or not the historically reckoned cost of production has changed; whether ten or any other number of days of labor have been expended in its production; or whether we pay eighty cents or any other amount for a day's labor。 The fate of the 〃historically〃 reckoned cost will likewise depend upon a variety of considerations; difficulty may be encountered in producing the additional amount of copper which is necessary to supply the increased demand。 It may be necessary to employ more miners; in which case it is quite probable that the wages of the miners will advance。 Or; perhaps; though we can obtain a sufficient force of miners at eighty cents; it may be necessary to work poorer veins; in which a hundred weight of copper will cost not ten but twelve days' labor。 In both case the advance which first appeared in the money cost of a later stage of production; will be gradually transmitted; in a greater or less degree; to the elementary labor cost of the earlier stages of production。 Finally; it is possible that we may be able to supply this increased demand for copper without any additional cost; or at the old rate of ten days of eighty cent labor to every hundred pounds of copper。 In this case the increased demand for copper will eventually be satisfied at this rate of cost。 The price of the copper; as well as that of the copper goods; will then have a correponding return motion until it reaches the original price of eight dollars。 But in either event; it still remains true that the price of copper goods may be determined; at least temporarily; by other conditions than their historically reckoned cost。 In practice numberless instances of this kind arise。 Even though in the long run the elementary 〃historical〃 cost plays an important part; yet time is necessary for its influence to be felt through the whole of our complicated system of production。 During this time the stage not yet effected by this leveling influence will follow the lead of their special 〃synchronous〃 cost。 Let us now take a few examples; in which this leveling influence is free to operate over a limited area of