Abstract
IT is frequently stated that the lessened demand for coal is due partly to its more economical use, partly to the great extension in the use of gas and electricity, and partly to the harnessing of water-power. Nothing could be more erroneous. The more economical use of a commodity, as Prof. Jevons has shown, does not, as is commonly supposed, lead to a restriction in its consumption. Every economy in the production and consumption of an essential commodity, if duly reflected in its selling price, will increase the public demand. That is emphatically so in the case of fuel. People do not keep windows closed in Great Britain because they prefer stuffiness to air, but for warmth. Our climatic conditions are such that for two thirds of the year there is a large unsatisfied demand for fuel in Great Britain.
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Scientific Research and New Uses for Coal. Nature 134, 784–785 (1934). https://doi.org/10.1038/134784a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/134784a0