The Principles of Economics Part 63

4. Is there anything in the nature of mining that keeps the ratio of the supply of gold and silver nearly uniform?

5. Is the value of gold and silver due to the action of government?

6. Does the principle of the subst.i.tution of goods have any bearing on the value of metals under bimetallism?

7. Note carefully, and indicate the different meanings of bimetallism; of demonetization.

8. What is the extent of the influence one nation can have on the ratio of the two precious metals?

9. If money wages are higher and general prices are lower, how is the laborer affected? Is this due to the appreciation of money?

10. Can you get a kind of money that will make the things that are sold, dearer, and the things that are bought, cheaper?

11. What are the main reasons given for the ratio of 16 to 1?

CHAPTER 48. BANKING AND CREDIT

1. What does a bank do for a community?

2. What are the sources of income to a bank?

3. Can a bank that issues its own notes afford to lend cheaper than the ordinary capitalist?

4. What is discount and deposit?

5. Do all banks issue notes? Why?

6. What is the function of a clearing-house?

7. If there are twenty banks in a town and no clearing-house, how many collections would have to be made by all the banks daily a.s.suming that each day depositors of each bank receive checks on the other nineteen banks?

8. Does a clearing-house enable the banks that belong to it to get along with a smaller cash reserve?

9. What element of security is furnished by clearing-houses during panics?

CHAPTER 49. TAXATION IN ITS RELATION TO VALUE

1. Does taxation ever infringe on the right of private property?

2. What is it a citizen gets in return for his taxes?

3. Is there any relation between the taxes paid and the benefits secured from government?

4. A recent newspaper item says: "This is the year real estate is a.s.sessed. Turn the cow loose in the front yard, tear down the fence, make things look generally dilapidated, for it will be money in your pocket." What does this indicate regarding taxation?

5. The parts of an estate divided into fifteen equal shares by expert real estate agents were soon after a.s.sessed variously from $900 to $2850 for purposes of taxation. What does this indicate? (From Sumner's _Problems_.)

6. In what ways may we understand the proposition that taxation should be proportioned to ability?

7. Can taxation be used to secure some of the profits of large corporations?

CHAPTER 50. THE GENERAL THEORY OF INTERNATIONAL TRADE

1. Is it bad policy to let the people of Palo Alto spend money in San Francisco for things that could be produced at home?

2. Pensions are defended as putting money in circulation. Is this like any tariff arguments you have heard?

3. Is it bad policy for California to buy New England manufactures?

4. If there were no legal bar to a tariff between the states, would a tariff probably be imposed? If so, would it be a wise measure?

5. A nation with _n_ dollars in circulation has to pay a war indemnity of _n_ dollars to another country having the same circulation, how much money will each then have, and what will be the effect on prices, foreign trade, rate of exchange? (From Davenport.)

6. If large shipments of wheat are made to England, will bills of exchange on London be higher or lower in New York?

7. What effect on exchange has the holding of American bonds abroad?

CHAPTER 51. THE PROTECTIVE TARIFF

1. If all trade is exchange do not the members of a trust reduce their income when they raise the price of their products by artificial agreement?

2. Is there any likeness between trade-unions and tariffs? Between tariffs and factory legislation?

3. Can it be of advantage to trade freely with one nation if general free trade is bad?

4. Who gained when Hawaiian sugar (before annexation) was admitted free of duty, while other sugar was taxed?

5. If it would pay us to admit goods free, may we be justified in taxing them to force concessions from the other country?

6. What have you read this year about reciprocity?

CHAPTER 52. OTHER PROTECTIVE SOCIAL AND LABOR LEGISLATION

1. Is granting patents an interference with trade similar to tariffs?

2. What reasons are given in justification of laws closing barbershops on Sundays?

3. Can a person owning a lot on a residence street of a city erect a glue-factory on it?

4. What have you noted as to the benefits or hardships of restricting child labor in factories?

5. Are men less able to bargain for the loan of money than for other things?

6. Can law fix the rate of interest at any point desired? If so, then why not at zero; if not, then why fix any maximum rate of interest?