ترجمه متون اقتصادی، متن دوم

World Market

 

      Today modern transport is so extensive and so rapid that many commodities have a world market: that is, a change in the price of the commodity in one part of the world affects the price in the rest of the world. Such commodities are wheat, coffee, oils, and the basic raw materials such as wool, cotton, mineral oil, rubber, tin, lead, zinc, and uranium. What are the necessary requirements for a commodity to have such a wide market?

First, there must be a wide demand. The basic necessities of life (e.g. wheat, vegetable oils, wool, cotton) answer this requirement. In contrast, such goods as national costumes, books translated into little-used languages, souvenirs, postcards of local views and foods which satisfy local tastes, have only a local demand.

Second, commodities must be physically capable of being transported. Land and buildings are almost impossible to transport. A customer may require a personal service from the producer, but the distance he can travel is usually limited. Labor, too, is practically immobile, workers being loath, in spite of the attraction of a higher wage, to move to a different country or even to a different locality. Closely connected with, this is the action of governments, which by tariff policy or import quotas, may effectively prevent certain commodities from entering the country.

Third, the cost of transport must not be prohibitive; they must be small in relation to the value of the commodity.  Thus the market for bricks is small, while that for diamonds is world-wide. Similarly, wheat and oil are cheap to transport compared with coal because they are more easily handled, though as sea transport is the cheapest form of transport, coal mined near the coast can be sent long distances.

Last, the commodity must be durable. Goods which perish quickly, such as milk, bread, fresh cream and strawberry, can not be sent long distances. Nevertheless, modern developments, such as refrigeration, canning and air freight transport, are extending the market even for these goods.