Principles of Political Economy, Vol. 1Roscher, Wilhelm
History
Principles of Political Economy, Vol. 1
Roscher, Wilhelm
Economics
But, lastly, the principal cause consists in the powerful increase of the
demand for money, which, during the last two centuries, the great impulse
given to the rapidity of circulation, and the great increase in the
substitutes for money, have scarcely been able to outweigh. Besides the
great growth of population and of wealth, at least in Europe and the new
world, I need call attention only to the immense advance made in the
division of labor, and to the transition from trade by barter to trade
through the instrumentality of money. The entire war and merchant marine
of England, about 1602, had, according to Anderson, a capacity of only
45,000 tons,—that is, not one-fifth of what the small city of Bremen has
now; a capacity which at the close of the year 1873 amounted to 237,206
tons—while in 1872 its merchant marine alone had a capacity of 7,213,000
tons. The aggregate foreign trade of England, France, Russia and the
United States, in 1750, amounted to about 260,000,000 thalers; in 1864, it
was over 5,400,000,000, and between 1871 and 1872, in one year, over
9,000,000,000 thalers. Nor should it be forgotten that Europe’s trade with
the East, since the beginning of the sixteenth century, increased
immensely. This, at present, produces uniformly a very “unfavorable
balance” for Europe, which can be made up for only by very large shipments
of silver to foreign parts.(860) If China and India were suddenly to draw
on us for other commodities instead of gold and silver, the result would
be a great revolution in prices in Europe.
Section CXXXIX.
History Of Prices.—Californian And Australian Discoveries.
Tengoborski is of opinion, that the flow of gold from Siberia alone would
have been absorbed by the ever-increasing want of civilized nations of
money; but that the coincident discoveries in California and Australia, in
September 1847, and February 1851, must sooner or later produce a
revolution in prices. And, indeed, the fecundity of these countries is
unparalleled. North America, which in 1846 produced only 3,600 pounds of
gold, according to Sœtbeer, produced in the years from 1849 to 1863,
respectively, 118,000, 148,000, 178,000, 195,000, 180,000, 165,000,
165,000, 165,000, 160,000, 145,000, 125,000, 120,000, 115,000 and 110,000.
Austria produced in the years from 1851 to 1863 respectively, 27,000,
196,000, 250,000, 160,000, 170,000, 195,000, 180,000, 175,000, 160,000,
150,000, 160,000, 160,000, 170,000, pounds of gold.
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