The Relationship Between Small and Large Landowners

Rents increase with population rents increase with the construction of nearby railways roads businesses etc. these increases in rent do not increase the labor needed to collect it and the landlord profits more and more without adding anything of value himself. improvements in productive powers of labor decrease the price of the cost of living while raising the cost of rent so the landlord benefits doubly even though he has not contributed at all to that increase in productivity. Marx says quote it is absurd to conclude as Smith does that since landlords exploit every benefit that comes to society the interest of the landlord is identical with society this is not true for a bunch of reasons one Marx says landlords are interested in the growth of population production and society's needs