162 CAPITAL THE MOTHER OF LABOUR iv 



desires the help of one or more other men ; and 

 that, in exchange for their labour, he offers so 

 many sheep, or quarts of milk, or pounds of 

 cheese, or so many measures of grain, for a year's 

 service. I fail to discover any a priori " rights of 

 labour " in virtue of which these men may insist 

 on being employed, if they are not wanted. But, 

 on the other hand, I think it is clear that there 

 is only one condition upon which the persons to 

 whom the offer of these " wages " is made can 

 accept it ; and that is that the things offered in 

 exchange for a year's work shall contain at least 

 as much vital capital as a man uses up in doing 

 the year's work. For no rational man could 

 knowingly and willingly accept conditions which 

 necessarily involve starvation. Therefore there is 

 an irreducible minimum of wages ; it is such an 

 amount of vital capital as suffices to replace the 

 inevitable consumption of the person hired. Now, 

 surely, it is beyond a doubt that these wages, 

 whether at or above the irreducible minimum, are 

 paid out of the capital disposable after the wants 

 of the owner of the flock or of the crop of grain 

 are satisfied ; and, from what has been said already, 

 it follows that there is a limit to the number of 

 men, whether hired, or brought in in any other 

 way, who can be maintained by the sheepowner 

 or landowner out of his own resources. Since no 

 amount of labour can produce an ounce of food- 

 stuff beyond the maximum producible by a limited 



