Agricultural and Industrial Locations

Abstract

There have been two types of location theories; one is the agricultural location theory of Thünen, and the others the industrial location theory studied by A. Weber. Agriculture and manufacturing have often been investigated separately from different stand-points, but in reality they ought to be considered without discrimination. Thus various attempts have been made to conquer the dualism of the two location theories; but so far a satisfactory resolution is yet to be sought.The two location theories have each their own precondition, and the degrees of generalization of theories are different. So they ought to be considered again on the same condition.The land factor in farming does not resemble to raw materials but to productive power in manufacturing. Seeds and fertilizers are to farming what raw materials are to manufacturing. Seeds are ubiquitous raw materials. Fertilizers are purchased from cities. When we apply the way of thinking in the industrial location theory to agriculture, the relation between market and margin of cultivation in their location attracting capacity is introduced in. Moreover, agricultural location is a relative one. It is not fixed by immovability of land. The competition of location between farming and manufacturing is supposed to happen if a conception of rental-index in introduced into industrial location. The Orientation to cheap labor-place is comparable with the location of economizing production cost based on physical conditions, when differences in the physical conditions are considered. In the competition of same locations upon the same land, that which suffers the maximum by leaving the land occupies the best land. The importance of the differences of special conditions in natural order decreases as it becomes more distant from market-place. In Weber's industrial location theory, the precondition thet the places of raw material producing districts and consuming areas are given, have to be got rid of. So, his view point of “Lagerungsschichten” is brought in. Though this conception comes nearer Thünen's theory and is very excellent itsef, it is nothing but a little knowledge of correlations among industries. Various other factors ought to be considered as well.