IV CAPITAL— THE MOTHER OF LABOUR. 165 



green plants in both islands; and that all the la- 

 bour spent upon the raw produce useful in manu- 

 facture, directly or indirectly yielded by them — 

 by the inhabitants of these islands and by those 

 of Lanzerote into the bargain — will not provide 

 one solitary Lanzerotian with a dinner unless the 

 Teneriffians and Canariotes happen to want his 

 goods and to be willing to give some of their vital 

 capital in exchange for them. 



Under the circumstances defined, if Teneriffe 

 and Gran Canaria disappeared, or if their inhab- 

 itants ceased to care for carpentry, clothing, or 

 shoes, the people of Lanzerote must starve. But 

 if they wish to buy, then the Lanzerotians, by 

 " cultivating " the buyers, indirectly favour the 

 cultivation of the produce of these buyers. 



Thus, if the question is asked whether the 

 labour employed in manufacture in Lanzerote is 

 " productive " or " unproductive " there can be 

 only one reply. If anybody will exchange vital 

 capital, or that which can be exchanged for vital 

 capital, for Lanzerote goods, it is productive; if 

 not, it is unproductive. 



In the case of the manufacturer, the depend- 

 ence of labour upon capital is still more intimate 

 than in that of the herdsman or agriculturist. 

 When the latter are once started they can go on, 

 without troubling themselves about the existence 

 of any other people. But the manufacturer de- 

 pends on pre-existing capital, not only at the be- 



