The morning times., 1896-09-27

We closed our last article with the sugges
ton that rent may be Increased at the eX
pense of industry-by artificial causes.
Heretofore, we have illustrated the Law
OF rent as expressive of purely natura
causes. under the operation of which in
dustry descended from. higher. to lower
grades of land merely because there was
| not enough OF the higher grades to supply
/ the wheat required by the people.
Rent thus emerging aud rising as in
dustry descenSs may be considered the
natural or purely economic rent. 1t is
wholly due to scarcity OF the best land
relatively to population. ''.'-' e'-"
The difference between the various
| grades or agricultural land may be due
to the character OF the soil, to climate, to
| location, or to all of these combined. OF
| these natural conditions, that OF location
| is probably the most potent cause OF rent
even for purely agricultural land.
1t is physically impossible for human
beings to select lands and develop COM
munitics such as we now iiave-t,iat ID,
economic communion without giving an
Importance to some localities whereby
lands become more valuable there than
else where.
In every such community there are GER
tam economic centers toward winch SOME
classss of business gravitate in order to
accommodate the people at the least cost.
Local markets naturally develop where they
Will be most conveniently accessible 10 u
ma jority of the surrounding community.
since tits physlcaly 1mlUssofe Tor ali
parts of body to be equal distant from
Its center. no community can be so formed
that all its members shall reside at equal
distances from It's market t.
Inc relation OF lana 10 the market Is.
therefore, one OF the naturat causes OF
rent ana the consequent Inequality In the
distripution OF Weaith among !ahuowhers
as Wen as Others. CONSIDERED from this
point OF view, the lowest grade OF iand
I'D use may De OF Il h,gh grade In point OF
iertihty whiic OF Il low grade economic
any because oil reniotencss fiom the mar
ket anu other economies OF society.
IL often happens that III Inc early settie-
ment OF a country no one can rorsee where
tue economic cehterof gravity Is TO re- IL
depends In large measure upon nrtiticiai
means OF transportation, and the develop
nient OF these depends on faith IN the future
Importance OF Localities; Prof. Densiow
says:
NORFOLK'S LOST OPPORTUNITY
9TH. .ar,y ,n,.r,,h,.,,. .,,;,oars 81
tho country incI,o,ra .snaoi.u, C.o-,,o
Washioct,o. who was an enr,neer nv
nr,rcssion foresow ,b,. Mt whatev.r
noip, On the Atlantic coas, an o,,,,., shop,d
Ia, mad. rr,ba ,,,o,,,o,rr,- ,,,., ,,,esi..,,,,;
and Ohio valleys ,,o,, n,,ba,Jy En-.
greatest Atlantic seann,t w,u,d arise y
Depsl,w goes an ~ show mar wosbinc-
ton urged tho Ie.islhe,r. NJ yir,,pi, M
huild n canal c,,nn,c,3pc tho obin pir.r
aud TN. J,o,es ar .p,,n, 40 \, ,I,co
IN. outlet M N,rr,lE E,t mn drtce or
s,;,,,, go - :, ii, - : l...,.,,I' Ct
quently. New York. Under the leadership
VI Dewitt Clinton, constructed the Erie
Canal. connecting Lake Erie at Buffalo
with the Hudson at Albany, and tits made
New York the Empire State and the city
the commercial metropolis OF the Union
had Washington's advice been taken,
land n Norfolk might now be worth
sio,Ooo,puo per acre. as it Is III New York
city. Riches C me. ~ landowners. in New
YORK city not uomEany peculiar saeacit!.
on their part when pnrcha sing titi.s. nor
yet directly from the .huill.1g Of. the
canal, but because, vast number of
people sought to avail themselves OF the
economy which land IN that citt. from
this time on. afforded Tor the exchange
or goods Manufacturers went there not
because the place was naturally the best
Tor making things. Tut because II was one
OF the very best places Tor seiiiag things
after they were made
III Is the desire OF people TO trade that
causes tue great metropolis bet't"r TINS