理嘉图的生产成本学说

(2)理嘉图的生产成本学说

理嘉图(D.Ricardo)在他的《经济与租税原理》(Principles of Political Economy and Taxation)，讨论劳力与价值的关系，有几个要点:①劳力的数量决定交换价值的高低。②价值的决定不在乎劳力所能交换货物之比较地数量，而在乎其所产生货物之比较地数量。这就是生产成本学说的由来。③除直接劳力以外，其他关于土地、房屋、运输、贩卖之劳力对于所关货物之价值亦有影响。他在此处并不将土地与资本排除在价值系统之外。④劳力价值之升降固可影响货物之价值，但过于重视，亦属错误。⑤地租是国富增加的结果而非其原因，所以不是组成物价的一部分。在此处，他又似乎将土地排除在价值之外。以上是他的第一章《价值论》(On Value)与第二章《地租论》(On Rent)的几个要点。⑥在第二十七章《货币论》(On Currency)中，说到硬币价值因征收铸费的缘故，超过其所含金属之价值，其原因即在于铸币需要更多之劳力。这是将生产成本学说适用到货币上去。

“If the quantity of labour realized in commodities regulate their exchangable value，every increase of the quantity of labourmust augment the value of that commodity on which it is exercised，as every diminution must lower it.”^[76]

“It is the comparative quantity of commodities which labour will produce，that determines their presentor past relative value，and not the comparative quantities of commodities，which are given to the labourer in exchange for his labour.”^[77]

“...in estimating the exchangable value of stockings，for example，we should find that their value，comparatively with other things，depends on the total quantity of labour necessary to manufacture them，and brings themto market.Firstly，there is the labour necessary to cultivate the land on which the raw cotton is grown;secondly，the labour of conveying the cotton to the country where the stockings are to bemanufactured，which includes a portion of the labour bestowed in building the ship in which it is conveyed，and which is charged in the freight of goods;thirdly，the labour of the spinner and weaver;fourthly，a portion of the labour of the engi-neer，smith，and carpenter，who erected the buildings and machinery，by the helps of which they are made，fifthly，the labour of the retail dealer，and ofmany others，whomit is necessary to particularize.”^[78]

“Every improvement in machinery，in tools，in building，in raising the rawmaterial，saves labour，and enables us to produce the commodity to which the improvement is applied with more facility，and consequently its value alters.In estimating，then，the causes of variations in the value of commodities，although it would be wrong wholly to omit the considerations of the effect produced by a rise or fall of labour(Gonner's note:by a rise or fall in the value of labour)，it would be equally incorrect to attach much importance to it....”^[79]

“The rise of rent is always the effect of the increasing wealth of the country，and of the difficulty of providing food for its augmented population.It is a symptom，but it is never a cause of wealth;for wealth often increasesmost rapidly，while rent is either stationary or even falling.”^[80]

“If the price of corn were the effect，and the cause of rent，price would be proportionally influenced as rents were high or low，and rent would be a component part of price.But that corn which is produced by the greatest quantity of labour is the regulator of the price of corn;and rent does not and cannot enter in the least degree as a component part of its price.”^[81]

“While the state coinsmoney，and charges no seignorage，money will be of the same value as any other price of the same metal of equal weight and fineness;but if the state charges a seignorage for coinage，the coined piece of money will generally exceed the value of the uncoined piece ofmetal by the whole seignorage charged，because it will require a greater quantity of labour，or，which is the same things，the value of the produce of a greater quantity of labour，to produce it.”^[82]