The sun., 1912-08-04

paid for: that il. above those necessary
IN order TO cover the price of labor Eower
the pumping out of this labor alone mai es
the capitalist rich.
| 1his rs a general outline OF the theory of
Marx. The errors and preconceivcd no.
lions which are at the basis Of this theory
becom" evident on consideration Of it,
fundamen' al proposition that commodit les
OF the same price have the same value
because they contain the same quantity
OF average abstract human labor socially
necessary for their production.
This proposition, in the first place, is
entirely indefinite. We hav. side by side
wheat Of years Of good and lad harves,s,
IRON from rich and poor mines, produce, :
OF machine and hand weaving. gold from
rich mines. diamonds from mines which
are unique in kind. and which are obtained
almost free by their lucky seekers. We
have positive knowledge that all these
commodities represent very different
quantities of human labor. that the wheat
of fertile countries is produced with less
labor than that of countries where har-
vests are bad. that the products Of hand
weaving cost twice as much labor as those
produced by machinery. that iron may
have required more or less labor. accord
ing to the quality of the mines and the
methods of working them. that gold and
, diamonds may have cost q fiftieth or a
hundredth part OF the labor expended on
the commodities with which they are
compared.
The variation OF the quantities Of
human labor embodied In the commodities
named is we'll known; but the quantity of
labor spent in their production we do not
know and cannot determine and without
knowing this quantity in separate branches
OF industry and in industry as a whole
we can say nothing about the average
socially necessary norm of abstract hu-
man labor embodied in commodities. and
this average norm remains an entirely
unknown and indefnable quantity. just
as little can We determine the degree and
volume Of influence OF those social and
natural conditions which directly affect
the quantity Of necessary human labor in
different branches OF industry and in diff
ferent countries OF the world.
Besides. the general proposition that
value is crystallized labor Is inapplicable
to certain categories OF commodities,
Let us take at random various commodi-
ties. excepting manufactured articles
precious stones. oranges. pheasants, cat
tie. lumber. Siberian furs. ls it possible
to say that in these things human labor
IL embodied in the same sense In which the
statement il made about a piece Of cloth
or bushol Of wheat? In manufactured
product there is really embodied given
quantity of human labor; il is in fact a
product of labor without which 1t would
not exist. but let us try to apply the same
IDEAS to commodities OF different type,
such as those named above-a absurdity
IL evident.
Assuming ~ proved that abstract hu-
man labor determines tho value Of all
commodities. Marx in a few words ex-
plains. or rather avoids. the important
question OF the various kinds and forms of
labor which serve a. a measure OF value.
In" value oi commodities. says he. repre-
sents an expenditure of human labor in
the abstract. labor il the expenditure OF
sinSle labor power which every ordinary