The weekly Iberian. (New Iberia, La.) 1894-1946, 1903-10-17

II
ges the price of labor will rise.
A house may be large or small
bat as long as the surroundins
houses are equally small it salts
fles all social expectations as {
dwelling place But let a palace
arise by the side of this small
house, and it shrinks from a hou
Sc into hut. The smallne.s of the
house now gives il to be under
stood that its occupant has either
very small pref ntiOnS or none al
all; and however high it may shoot
up with the Progress of civIliza
ton, if the naboring palace shoots
up also in the same or in greater
ptopotion, the occupant of the
comparatively small house will al.
ways find himself more uncomfor.
table, more discontended, more
confined within his four walls.
A notable advance Ill the
amount paid as wages brings a
bout rapid increase of produc i've
capital. The rapid increase
of productive capital calls
forth just as rapid an increase in
wealt, luxury, social wants, and so
Gals comforts. Therefore, al
though the comforts of the labor
ers have risen, the social salts
faction which toey give has fallen
in comparison with these augmen-
ted comforts of the capitalists
which are unattlnable for the la
bOrer, and IN comparison with The
general develOpement of comforts
Our wants and their satisfaction
have their ongen in society; there
fore measure them in their relation
to society, and not in relation to
the objects which satisfy them
Since their nature is social, it is
therefore relative.
AS a rule then, wages are not
determined merely by the amount
OF commodities for which they may
be exchanged. They depend up
on various relation.
What the laborer Immediately
receives for his labor is a certain
sum OF money. Are wages deter
mined merely by This money price,
In the sixteenth century the
gold and silver in circulation in
Europe was augmented in conse-
quences of the discovery of Ameri-
ca. The value of gold and silver
fell, therefore, IN proportion to 9th
er commodities. The labOrers recea-
we'd for their labor the same amout
of silver coin as before. yet their
wages had fallen, for in exchange
for the same sum of silver they
obtained a smaller quantity of OF,
her commodities This was one of
the circumstances which furthered
the increase of capital and the ri
Sc Of the bourgeosie in the sixth
eenth century.
Let us take another case. In
the winter of 1917 in consequence
Of failure of the crops, their was
an important increase in the price
Of the Indispensable means of sub
sistence corn, meat, butter cheese,
and so on. We will suppose that
he laborers still received the sa-
ne sum of money for their labor
Is before. Had not there wages
allen theng OF course they had
For the same amount of money
hey received in exchange less
,read, meat, etc; and their wages
lad fallen not because the value
f silver had diminished but be.
ause the value of the means of
had increased.
Let us finally suppose that the
honey price of labor remains the
anne, while in consequence of the
eason, or for some similar reason
here is fall in the price of agri-
ulture and manufactured goods.
or the same amount of money
be laborers can now buy more
of all kinds Their
ages have risen, just because
leir money price has not change d
To be- continued.