(2.iii.37) Let us suppose, in the second case, a capital or 400 l., but exclusive of wages. Thiscapital is employed, and the necessary labourers maintain themselves without wages, and take,as their remuneration, their share of the commodity when produced. The commodity is worth550 l.; and of that 100 l. falls to the share of the labourers. The rate of profits is the same asbefore, and the proportions are the same as before, only with this correction, that in the formercase the labourers sustained a discount or 10 per cent upon their share on account of anticipatedpayment The real shares in both cases are four-fifths to the capitalist, and one-fifth to theworkmen.
(2.iii.38) It is sufficiently evident that, so long as the capital and the labour remain the same,and the shares remain the same, so long, in Mr. Ricardo's sense of the word value, will the samevalue accrue to each, whether the quantity of produce they receive be greater or less.
(2.iii.39) That the capital, and the labour, should remain the same, is as necessary acondition, as that the shares should remain the same; for if either is increased or diminished, the value of theproduct, in Mr. Ricardo's sense of the word value, is also increased or diminished.
(2.iii.40) The quantity of produce being supposed the same, we may illustrate the subject bythe following cases.
(2.iii.41) 1. Let us suppose that both capital and labour are diminished, and in equalproportions.
This is precisely the same with the case in which the productive powers of labour and capital areincreased; as it comes to the same thing, whether you have the same produce from a less cost ofproduction, or a greater produce from the same cost of production. This case, therefore, has beenalready considered.
