Say''s Catechism on Political Economy. 



612 



Imve been at in producing it, incluHing 

 their profits. The value of the tliini; is 

 estalilisbtd by the result of tliis oppo- 

 sition between the producer and the 

 COiisuiDcr. 



But tliere are many things of preat 

 utility, nnd nu volue, as water. Why 

 have thty no value? 



Becaui.e Nature pives them uratoi- 

 toubly, nnd without stint, and we are 

 not ohlified to produce them. If a person 

 were- able to create water, and wished 

 to sell it, no one would buy it, because it 

 could be got at the river f>r nothing. 

 Thus all the woitd ei'jny these thiucs 

 tut they are not richs* to .-^ny body. If 

 all things that men could desire were in 

 the same case, no one would he rich, but 

 no one would be in want of riches, since 

 each could enjoy all things at his plea- 

 siJTe. 



But this is not the case : the greater 

 part'of things which are necessary and 

 even indispensable to us, are not given to 

 tis gratuitously and unliniiiedly. Human 

 indubtfy must, with pains and labour, 

 collect, fashion, and transport them. 

 ■ Tliey theti become products. The 

 utility, the faculty they have acquired of 

 teing serviceable, gives them a value and 

 .iliis value is riches. 



' \Vhen once riches are thus created 

 they may be exchanged for other riches, 

 other values, and we may procure the 

 products which we vtant in exchange 

 for those we can spare. Wc have seen 

 in the preceding chapter how money fa- 

 Ciiitates this exchange. 

 ' I now conceive linw products alone 

 are riches; but their utility docs not ap- 

 pear to be the only cause which gives 

 them value; for there are products, such 

 ns rings anil artificial flowers, which have 

 value but no utility. 



You do not discover the utility of these 

 products because you csll only u-^eful 

 that which is so to the eye of reason, but 

 you ought to uiulcrstand by that word 

 whatever is capable of satisiying the 

 WDuts and desires of ttian such as he is. 

 His vanity and his passions arc to him 

 ■wants, sometimes as imperious as hungtr. 

 lie is the sole judge if the importance 

 that things are of to him, and ol the want 

 he has ot them. Wc cannot judge of it 

 but by the price he pnts on ihein. The 

 value of things is the sole measure of 

 their utilliy to man. It is enough for us 

 to give tlicm utility in his eyes in order 

 to give thoni a value. Now that is what 

 we call to produce, to create products. 



Recapitulate what jou have said. 



Givt to any thing, to a material which 

 lins no value, utility, and you give it ft 

 value; that is, you make a product of 

 ir, you create wealth. 



One can then create wealth? 



Incontestahly. 



1 thought that man could not create 

 any thin!». 



He cannot create matter; he cannot 

 inal»e the laws which regulate nature; 

 but with existing matter and the laws of 

 nature, such as they are, lie can give a 

 value tocertain things, and consequently 

 can create wealth. 



What country may be called a rich 

 country? 



One in which many things of value, or, 

 more briefly, many values are to ba 

 found ; in the same manner as a lamily 

 which pcissesbes many of these values is a 

 rich family. 



ON PUI3LIC PROPERTY AND TAXES. 



From whence are the values derived 

 which serve for the public consump* 

 tions ? 



They are derived either from the reve- 

 nues of property belonging to the public, 

 or from taxes. 



What constitutes the revenues of public 

 property ? 



These properties are either capital or 

 freehold property, but most generally 

 freehold properly, land, houses, &c. 

 which the govtrnment let, and the reve- 

 nue of which it consumes for the advan- 

 tage of the pulilic. When it consists of 

 forests, it sells the annual felling; when 

 capital it lends it at interest, but tiiia 

 last case is very rare. 



Who is it that pays the taxes? 



The individuals whom in this respect 

 wf call Contributors. 



Where do the contributors get tho 

 values witi) which ihcy pay the taxes? 



They lake ttiese values from the pro- 

 ducts which belong to them, or, which 

 comes to the same thing, from the money 

 which they procure by the exchange of 

 thfse products. 



Are these products the fruit of the an- 

 nual priiductions? 



They are sometimes the products of 

 the year, which form part of the income 

 of individu:ds, and sometimes former 

 products, which they employ as produc- 

 tiv»; capitals. 



In vvliat case do the contributors take 

 from their capitals to pay the taxes? 



When their incomes are not sufficient* 

 And in this case the taxes dry up one of 

 the Sources of revenue, and one of the 

 uieans uf the industry of society. 



Give 



