OF VALUE.

19]

ploy his capital in production, he must pur-
chase labour, and the demand for labourers
will therefore be in proportion to the capital
destined for this purpose. But there are only
a certain number of labourers in existence;
these cannot for the time be either purposely
increased or dimsnished, and they consequently
possess a monopoly of their peculiar commo-
dity. The greater the demand, therefore, fot
their labour, the higher it will rise, exactly as
other monopolized commodities in the same
circumstances. This monopoly, too, is at-
tended with the disadvantages common to. all
monopolies in the hands of conflicting interests.
Under all circumstances the labourers must live,
and must therefore sell their labour; and
should the demand for it decrease, as they
cannot purposely diminish or keep back their
numbers, competition will soon reduce the
value of their labour.
Besides the general monopoly which the la-
bourers naturally possess, and which may be
advantageoug or disadvantageous, according to