`You're about as fair-speakin' a man as I've met for some time,' said Harlow, winking at the others.
`Yes, mate,' said Philpot.`Anyone would agree to that much! It's as clear as mud.'
`Now,' continued Owen, `I am a capitalist; or, rather, I represent the landlord and capitalist class.That is to say, all these raw materials belong to me.It does not matter for our present argument how I obtained possession of them, or whether I have any real right to them; the only thing that matters now is the admitted fact that all the raw materials which are necessary for the production of the necessaries of life are now the property of the Landlord and Capitalist class.I am that class: all these raw materials belong to me.'
`Good enough!' agreed Philpot.
`Now you three represent the Working class: you have nothing - and for my part, although I have all these raw materials, they are of no use to me - what need is - the things that can be made out of these raw materials by Work: but as I am too lazy to work myself, I have invented the Money Trick to make you work FOR me.But first I must explain that I possess something else beside the raw materials.These three knives represent - all the machinery of production; the factories, tools, railways, and so forth, without which the necessaries of life cannot be produced in abundance.And these three coins' - taking three halfpennies from his pocket - `represent my Money Capital.'
`But before we go any further,' said Owen, interrupting himself, `it is most important that you remember that I am not supposed to be merely "a" capitalist.I represent the whole Capitalist Class.You are not supposed to be just three workers - you represent the whole Working Class.'
`All right, all right,' said Crass, impatiently, `we all understand that.Git on with it.'
Owen proceeded to cut up one of the slices of bread into a number of little square blocks.
`These represent the things which are produced by labour, aided by machinery, from the raw materials.We will suppose that three of these blocks represent - a week's work.We will suppose that a week's work is worth - one pound: and we will suppose that each of these ha'pennies is a sovereign.We'd be able to do the trick better if we had real sovereigns, but I forgot to bring any with me.'
`I'd lend you some,' said Philpot, regretfully, `but I left me purse on our grand pianner.'
As by a strange coincidence nobody happened to have any gold with them, it was decided to make shift with the halfpence.
`Now this is the way the trick works -'
`Before you goes on with it,' interrupted Philpot, apprehensively, `don't you think we'd better 'ave someone to keep watch at the gate in case a Slop comes along? We don't want to get runned in, you know.'
`I don' think there's any need for that,' replied Owen, `there's only one slop who'd interfere with us for playing this game, and that's Police Constable Socialism.'
`Never mind about Socialism,' said Crass, irritably.`Get along with the bloody trick.'
Owen now addressed himself to the working classes as represented by Philpot, Harlow and Easton.
`You say that you are all in need of employment, and as I am the kind-hearted capitalist class I am going to invest all my money in various industries, so as to give you Plenty of Work.I shall pay each of you one pound per week, and a week's work is - you must each produce three of these square blocks.For doing this work you will each receive your wages; the money will be your own, to do as you like with, and the things you produce will of course be mine, to do as Ilike with.You will each take one of these machines and as soon as you have done a week's work, you shall have your money.'
The Working Classes accordingly set to work, and the Capitalist class sat down and watched them.As soon as they had finished, they passed the nine little blocks to Owen, who placed them on a piece of paper by his side and paid the workers their wages.
`These blocks represent the necessaries of life.You can't live without some of these things, but as they belong to me, you will have to buy them from me: my price for these blocks is - one pound each.'
As the working classes were in need of the necessaries of life and as they could not eat, drink or wear the useless money, they were compelled to agree to the kind Capitalist's terms.They each bought back and at once consumed one-third of the produce of their labour.
The capitalist class also devoured two of the square blocks, and so the net result of the week's work was that the kind capitalist had consumed two pounds worth of the things produced by the labour of the others, and reckoning the squares at their market value of one pound each, he had more than doubled his capital, for he still possessed the three pounds in money and in addition four pounds worth of goods.As for the working classes, Philpot, Harlow and Easton, having each consumed the pound's worth of necessaries they had bought with their wages, they were again in precisely the same condition as when they started work - they had nothing.
This process was repeated several times: for each week's work the producers were paid their wages.They kept on working and spending all their earnings.The kind-hearted capitalist consumed twice as much as any one of them and his pile of wealth continually increased.