第22章 《佃農理論》英語原著 (16)

Twothingsshouldbenoted.First,inthisquotationMillpresup-posedthatnoprevailingwagerateoralternativeearningexistsforthemetayertenant,anditisnotevenclearwhetherthepopu-lar"subsistence"ineisimpliedasalimittothesubdivisionofland.Indeed,withoutexplicitlystatingthelawofdiminishingreturns,itwouldbedifficulttoarriveatanykindofequilibrium.[31]Second,inregardto"improvements,"Milldidnotallowthemtobemadethroughadjustingtherentalpercentage-eventhoughhewaswellawareofdifferingrentalpercentages.[32]

ThelackofanydefiniteconclusionbyMillstemsfromthefactthathedidnotclaimtoperformanyeconomicanalysisofthesubject.HebeganbystatingthatthemetayagesysteminEuropewasregulatedbycustomandnotbypetition,[33]sothat"whenthepartitionoftheproduceisamatteroffixedusage,notofvaryingconvention,politicaleconomyhasnolawsofdistributiontoinvestigate."[34]FromwhomdidMillgetthis"custom"idea?FromSismondi:

Thisconnexion[ofinputmitments]isoftenthesubjectofacontract,todefinecertainservicesandcertainoccasionalpaymentstowhichthemetayerbindshimself:neverthelessthedifferencesintheobligationsofonesuchcontractandanotherareinconsiderable;usagegovernsalikealltheseengagements,andsuppliesthestipulationswhichhavenotbeenexpressed:andthelandlordwhoattemptedtodepartfromusage,whoexactedmorethanhisneighbor,whotookforthebasisoftheagreementanythingbuttheequaldivisionofthecrops,wouldrenderhimselfsoodious,hewouldbesosureofnotobtainingametayerwhowasanhonestman,thatthecontractofallthemetayersmaybeconsideredasidentical,atleastineachprovince,andnevergivesrisetoanypetitionamongpeasantsinsearchofemployment,oranyoffertocultivatethesoiloncheapertermsthanoneanother.[35]

Thecontractualstipulationsasdescribedareimpliedbythetheoryofsharetenancy,andasweshallseeingreaterdetail,theyaresimilartothoseinChina.Butthestatementthatthemetayagesystem"nevergivesrisetopetition"iswrong.Indeed,therestraintsonthecontractingpartiesasvisualizedbySismondiarerestraintsimposedbypetitionitself.

Wemaywellask:Whywerethetermsofasharecontractviewedas"customary"andnotdeterminedbypetition?Theanswer,Ibelieve,isthatfactorpricesarenotexplicitlystatedinasharecontract.[36]Underfixedrentorawagecontract,notonlyistherentalpriceoflandorthewagerateexplicitlystated,butalsoonepartytothecontractcanbuyfreelyanyquantityofaresourcebypayingahighenoughprice.Underasharecontract,wherethepricingmechanismoperatesbyadjustingtherentalpercentageandtheratioofnonlandinputstoland,itnotonlyyieldsanimpressionthatmarketpricesdonotexist,butthemutuallystipulatedinputintensityalsoyieldsanimpressionof"fixity."SismondiandMillwereunabletoseethat,ceterisparibus,areductioninfarmsizerepresentseitherafallinthewagerate（orinthecostofnonlandinputs）orariseintherentalpriceofland;orthatafallintherentalpercentagerepresentseitherariseinthewagerateorafallintherentalpriceofland.Furthermore,achangeinrelativefactorpricesinthemarketcanbeflexiblyadjustedinasharecontractthroughseveraldimensions,soflexiblythatitmayyeildanimpressionofinflexibility.Forexample,a50percentincreaseinthewageratewouldappearsignificantinawagecontract;but,underasharecontract,thesameincreasemaybeaccountedforbyloweringtherentalpercentageatrifle,reducinglaborinputatrifle,andexpandinglandsizeatrifle.

Thus,Millwasnotabletosettletheissueontheoreticalgrounds.Butonemustadmitthat,inlightofthediversifiedargumentsconfrontinghim,thefollowingjudgmenthemadeisofconsiderablewisdom:

Ifthe[metayer]systeminTuscany[Italy]worksaswellinpracticeasitisrepresentedtodo,witheveryappearanceofminuteknowledge,bysopetentanauthorityasSismondi;ifthemodeoflivingofthepeople,andthesizeoffarms,haveforagesmaintainedandstillmaintainthemselvessuchastheyaresaidtobebyhim,itweretoberegrettedthatastateofruralwell-beingsomuchbeyondwhatisrealizedinmostEuropeancountries,shouldbeputtohazardbyanattempttointroduce,undertheguiseofagriculturalimprovement,asystemofmoney-rentsandcapitalistfarmers.[37]

[1].Itisinterestingthatorientalwritersgenerallysharethesameview.Seesourcescitedinchapter1.

[2].Whenthefirstdraftofthisstudywaswritten,Iwasunawarethatsharetenancyhadbeenfrequentlyanalyzed.Asubsequentsurveyoftheliteratureconvincedmethattracingthedevelopmentofeconomicthinkingonthesubjectwouldbeworthwhile.ThefollowingsectionontheclassicalviewisanexpansionofasummarybyD.GaleJohnson.Seehis"ResourceAllocationunderShareContracts,"JournalofPoliticalEconomy（April,1950）,pp.112-14.

[3].AdamSmith,WealthofNations（1776；NewYork:ModernLibraryedition,1937）,p.366.

[4].Ibid.,p.367

[5].Ibid.,Book3,chap.2.

[6].Ibid.,p.365.

[7].Ibid.,p.368.AsD.GaleJohnsonpointsout:"NotonlydidSmithobjecttosharerenting,butheproposedthattaxesbeusedtoinducelandlordstouseotherleasingarrangement."SeeJohnson,"ResourceAllocation,"p.112；andSmith,WealthofNations,pp.779-88,esp.p.783.

[8].Smith,WealthofNations,p.368.

[9].Ibid.,p.369.

[10].Ibid.,pp.368-72.

[11].Young'sTravelswasfirstpublishedin1792,andithassincegonethroughanumberofeditions.IhaveathandaDublinreprintdated1793,vol.2；anabridgedversioneditedbyConstantiaMaxwell（Cambridge:AttheUniversityPress,1929）；andMissBetham-Edwards,edArthurYoung'sTravelsinFranceduringtheYears1787,1788,1789（London:GeorgeBellandSons,1892）.