PROBLEMS OF DISTRIBUTION 227 
surplus, so to speak, which has been termed 
consumers’ surplus ; only in this case the 
surplus must accrue not to those who buy 
consumers’ goods but to the direct consumers 
of the capital, namely, those who are active 
in producing in conjunction with the capital 
yielding the surplus. 
The question naturally suggests itself at 
this point as to whether it is theoretically 
possible—apart from broad questions of justice 
and social policy—to secure the whole of the 
benefits resulting from the use of capital for 
the community at large, no share being left 
for capitalists. Evidently it would not be 
possible to bring about this result by the simple 
expedient of prohibiting the payment of 
interest, even if such a prohibition were not 
evaded. Were interest forcibly suppressed 
under the conditions now ruling, which natur 
ally give birth to a market rate of interest, it 
is highly probable, to say the least, that the 
amount of capital saved would be substantially 
reduced, so that a loss would be occasioned to 
others than capitalists, as well as to capital 
ists, which might easily surpass in amount 
the saving effected for the former through 
the non-payment of interest. 
Nevertheless it is conceivable, though most 
improbable, that circumstances might arise