75 OXE MAX'S CAL\ AX OTHER MAN'S LOSS f 145 



got before. Indeed, owing to the large production the price 

 of farm-produce fell, so that the hunters and farmers were now 

 both very badly off. The hunters had gained something at 

 the expense of the farmers ; but the farmers lost more than the 

 hunters gained. The community was poorer now than it was 

 before and yet no national wealth had been taken from it. It 

 had lost nothing but a want. The game was there and the 

 hunters were there, but the consumers had vanished and the 

 whole community was the poorer because it had lost its relish 

 for wild fowl. Redistribution of the produce helped some and 

 banned others. Moreover, there was much idleness among the 

 farmers and hunter-farmers, and this led them into mischief. 



One day time was hanging very heavily on young George 

 Hunter-Farmer's hands. He was a lad with a taste for pretty 

 things and he took to executing a sort of embroidery with shells 

 and feathers on his hat. Charlie Weaver, passing, said ' Awfully 

 jolly hat, that.' ' Glad you like it,' said poor George. ' I say, I'll 

 buy that hat from you,' quoth Charlie, and this was a turning- 

 point in the history of the island. 



The Hunter-Farmers proved to be possessed of very superior 

 taste. They gave up farming and, taking to the production of 

 ornamental clothes, rapidly became the richest people in the 

 island. The farmers again got as much fish, cloth and carpen- 

 tering as they ever had, and the spirits of the whole island rose 

 materially as a result of their new and tasteful costume. 



Now let us get back to Jack's question and see what answer 

 is given by the facts in our little community. In the ideal 

 island one class or one man could only be richer than another 

 in virtue of producing goods of more value : the value being 

 measured in that commonplace but definite measure of which 

 one penny is the unit. The question of one man in a given 

 class differs from that of one class relatively to another. Let 

 us take the single man first. The strong clever farmer would 

 be richer than the weak stupid one with equal opportunities. 

 Represented in our diagram of barter circuits, he would have a 

 large number of lines flowing out to the consumers of his pro- 

 duce and the same number coming back from those whose pro- 

 duce he consumes. His productions benefit all those who receive 

 them and the goods he consumes are enhanced in value by his 



VOL. II. L 



