162 ROOT MATTERS IN SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC PROBLEMS. 



two producing centres are situated at vastly different distances 

 from consuming centres, that supply from the nearer pro- 

 ducing centres can be effected by a much smaller expenditure 

 of labour than by the more distant centre of production. 



Thus, if A be 8,000 miles distant, and B 40 miles, it 

 follows that the extra labour and time consumed in carrying 

 the extra 7,960 miles is a serious disadvantage. Men do not 

 consume distance. In itself it does not add a jot to the 

 ultimate material wants of man otherwise produced. Dis- 

 tribution is certainly a necessity, but the smaller the need for 

 distribution the larger the produce to be divided, for it is 

 obvious that the more machines and human beings that are 

 abstracted from direct production of essential satisfactions, 

 the smaller is the quantity falling to the share of each 

 consumer of wants. Thus, if 100 producers and 50 distributors 

 provide the ideal quota of wants of an Euphrasian at the 

 maximum of eight hours per day — say 10 wants per day, 

 then the 100 producers must each have produced 15 wants, 

 for consumers include producers, and non-producers or 

 producers and distributors, and these number 150, and 



100 X 15 



150 



= 10 



for each consumer : or on the basis of exertion which lies at 

 the root of price or cost, we might put it that for the aggre- 

 gate hours of labour in producing and distributing each 

 consumer was put in the possession of 10 wants. Now, if we 

 increase obstacles we cannot supply the same number of 

 wants without individually increasing the hours of labour. 

 Thus, if the additional distance involves the labour of 50 

 additional distributors, and if producer and consumer alike 

 share the additional labour thrown upon them, we have 



200 X 10 _..^ 

 200 ~ 

 = X =10^ 



Thus, to maintain the same share of wants as formerly, the 

 necessary increase of 50 non-producers or distributors involved 

 an extra two hours labour per day, or 25 per cent, extra 

 exertion on the part of all breadwinners. In like manner it 

 may be shown if the amount of exertions per individual 

 remain undisturbed — then the amount of wants formerly 

 supplied to each consumer must be lessened, thus : — 



150 X 10 ^ ^ 



— — — =^'b wants per consumer 



Thus we have with the increased obstacles a diminution in 

 the satisfaction of wants equivalent to a reduction of 25 per 

 cent. 



