MONEY 
two Ordnance Surveys would appear to the average 
inhabitant of Huddersfield. 
Being unable to bring forward any reasons why 
changes in the value of money and general level of 
prices should have become impossible, those who 
dislike the idea are obliged to confine themselves to 
questioning the existence of each particular change 
which happens to take place in their time. It is 
therefore necessary for us to begin by making clear 
how such changes may be recognized and roughly 
measured. We cannot expect to find in actual life 
a general rise of prices manifesting itself as a uniform 
rise, say of 10 per cent. in the price of each single 
commodity and service. If we did expect such a 
thing, it would imply that we also thought that if 
the general level of prices remained stationary, say 
between to-day and next year, the price of each 
single commodity would be precisely the same next 
year as to-day. Of course we expect nothing of the 
kind : we know that particular prices are affected 
by various diverse influences and are constantly 
changing. In the event of a general rise or fall of 
prices there is no reason for supposing that these 
influences would be any more quiescent than when no 
such change was proceeding. When there is a general 
rise, some things will rise much and others little, 
and some are likely even to fall. How then can we 
judge whether there has been a change in the general 
level, and if we are satisfied that such a change has 
occurred, how can we judge whether it is great or 
small ? 
The process is analogous to that which would be 
employed in ascertaining whether and if so by how 
much the existing level of an acre of ground which 
has been very much disturbed by operations upon it 
is lower than it was before. Let us say that Jones 
and Smith have been comrades in the War, and on