eryone shall have an equal share of
the product of collective labour."[1227] How, then, is the amount of
the unequal wages to be calculated? Some Socialists, following Marx,
propose to determine wages by means of labour-time. "Ascertain the
time taken to produce two commodities and we know their relative
exchange value. And this quality tallies with market valuations. So
far as creating value is concerned, then, one man creates as much
value as another, and on the basis of equal labour-time equal value,
Socialists rest their argument of social equality."[1228] "The working
time which the making of an article requires is the only scale by
which its social value can be measured. Ten minutes of social work in
one branch are exchangeable for ten minutes of social work in another.
It will be easy to calculate how much social working time each single
product requires."[1229] A hunter hunts all day and shoots a deer. A
fisher fishes all day and catches a sprat. Will the hunter exchange
his deer for the sprat, on the principle of equal labour-time? Will
highly skilled workers be satisfied to receive the same wages as the
most unskilled labourers? Will equal labour-time pay for all not lead
to universal dawdling, shrinkage in production, and consequent
starvation? Would workers not strive to get the maximum pay for the
minimum work? To prevent dawdling, could it be ascertained how long it
should take to repair a machine, paint a picture, amputate a leg,
plough an acre?

It is manifestly impossible to pay men of varying capacity and
productive power equal labour-time wages. Therefore many Socialists,
especially the Fabians, maintain: "The principle of inequality of
payment must be recognised. It is a necessary consequence of
inequality of ability."[1230] "Every man should receive from the
Commonwealth a fair equivalent in payments or services for the
payments or services which the Commonwealth receives from him. It is
not possible to say exactly how much each citizen has contributed to
the wealth of the State, and absolute economic justice is therefore
impossible."[1231] The question now arises how is the "fair equivalent
for services rendered" to be determined? Many Socialists teach the
doctrine that "the labourer is entitled to the entire product of his
labour."[1232] Should the labourer be given an equivalent to the
product of his labour _minus_ various necessary expenditures? Could
the value of the labour of an individual be