The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1868-08-29

II WIKI h MID che markst evalus IL con
mo1iEiss dspends on their supply md d.
mand thai Is, On the quantity d commodity
supplied or brought 10 market BY the ssllsrs
and &hs demnud mAde for thsms or The p0f-
chasing disposition of the bnYefA When
the supply Of any article or commodity d In
excess Of the dsmand the value 81 Il falls
and whsn 4 y less 70 qnentity than the de-
mand for vi iis value rsses. Tia
The supply and demand a. oonmodities
IN the market depend Oh safious causes, md
some Of them are subject % greater fuctna-
tons Of value than others.
Among the causes thai most affect the
supply and demand OF great number of;
commodities are vicssitudes Of the seasons.
which affect the supply Of corn, and various
kinds Of food, At home ard abroad, a. vel
40 oi cotton, silk, wool and vAri Ms other
materials employed in manufactures.
Another cause that affect supply and de-
mand 10 the ever raging changes CT taste and
fashion; the prevailing fashion causing
greater demand for certain articles, and in
creAsfhg their value, and occasioning less
demand and lowering the value Of snch No
were previously =: request.
Commodities. however, are not al equally
subject to ductuation OF value, some Of them
ductEating considerably more than others.
Those Of them that most huctnats are the
commodities Of which the annual supply Of
them is very large, compared with the stock
OF them on hand, such as most kinds OF
food, which greatly fiuctuate IL value ac-
cording to the state Of the harvest ut home
and abroad. And Of these, the most per
ishabse Of them, will be subject TO the great
Hnaf ma Raf khnaa A of
which the annual supply Of them 10 very
such as houses ships, the precious metals,
pearls, diamonds, and other precious stones,
are not subject to much Huct..iIon Of valse.
Occasions however arrive when the value
Of commodities rise and fall without any al
teration In their supply or demand. An for
instance, the mere apprehension OF d.
uinished supply, or OF greatly increased
quantity of them, wonld affect their market
value-such as the blight Of growing crops
the prospects of an extraordinary good, or q
very bad harvest; the news Of hurricanes
and devastations abroad the prospect Of
var, &c. Any Of these would cause per-
sous engaged in Interchange to purchase up
stocks Of the articles they deal in, or to dis
pose Of those they have on hand, and thus
Influence their market value.
II commodities. however, from any cause
continue 10 realize high market values, so rs
TO pay their producers considerably more
than the cost price Of their production, new
competitors would rush in to endeavor to
share in the gain. and would thus soon lower
their values
But if commodities fall 10 value so as not
to exchange for q quantity Of other COM
modines equal to the cost price OF their pro-
duction, they will not continue to be pro-
duced for r. person will long persist In
producing commodities by which they loose,
50 that "the cost price Of production Is the
great regulating principle Of exchangeable
value" co
There are some commodities, however,
that are not influenced by supply and ds-
msnd, as they cannot be supplied to NEE,
any demand, however great or urgent II uay
BE-, and which have consequently monopoly
value. These are such as old and scarce
paintings and statuary, Eat que gems and
coins, rare fossils, and precious stones OF
great size and quality, the value Of which
will depend on the prevailing tastes and de-
slIes Of the age and the number Of comPet-
itors striving to obtain them.
p. S.-Nsxt week Price