162 CAPITAL— THE MOTHER OF LABOUR. iv 



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 therQ 

 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 ewner of the flock or of the crop of grain 

 are satisfied; and, from what has been said al- 

 ready, it follows that there is a limit to the num- 

 ber of men, whether hired, or brought in in any 

 other way, who can be maintained by the sheep- 

 owner 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 number of plants, under the most fa- 

 vourable circumstances in regard to those condi- 

 tions which are not affected by labour, it follows 



