“Then that means,” said Owen, “that means that the wages the people in division four receive is not equivalent to the work they do.”
“Wotcher mean, equivalent?” cried Crass. “Why the ’ell don’t yer talk plain English without draggin’ in a lot of long words wot nobody can’t understand?”
“I mean this,” replied Owen, speaking very slowly. “Everything is produced by the people in number four. In return for their work they are given—Money, and the things they have made become the property of the people who do nothing. Then, as the money is of no use, the workers go to shops and give it away in exchange for some of the things they themselves have made. They spend—or give back—ALL their wages; but as the money they got as wages is not equal in value to the things they produced, they find that they are only able to buy back a VERY SMALL PART. So you see that these little discs of metal—this Money—is a device for enabling those who do not work to rob the workers of the greater part of the fruits of their toil.”
The silence that ensued was broken by Crass.
“It sounds very pretty,” he sneered, “but I can’t make no ’ead or tail of it, meself.”
“Look here!” cried Owen. “The producing class—these people in number four are supposed to be paid for their work. Their wages are supposed to be equal in value to their work. But it’s not so. If it were, by spending all their wages, the producing class would be able to buy back All they had produced.”
Owen ceased speaking and silence once more ensued. No one gave any sign of understanding, or of agreeing or of disagreeing with what he had said. Their attitude was strictly neutral. Barrington’s pipe had gone out during the argument. He relit it from the fire with a piece of twisted paper.
“If their wages were really equal in value to the product of their labour,” Owen repeated, “they would be able to buy back not a small part—but the Whole.”...
At this, a remark from Bundy caused a shout of laughter, and when Wantley added point to the joke by making a sound like the discharge of a pistol the merriment increased tenfold.
“Well, that’s done it,” remarked Easton, as he got up and opened the window.