HC Deb 04 April 1939 vol 345 cc2625-6W
Mr. Edwards

asked the Secretary for Mines what steps have recently been taken to encourage the use of producer gas in place of diesel oil and petrol and thereby conserve the supplies of imported fuel and at the same time increase the demand for British coal?

Captain Crookshank

The question of the use for transport in an emergency of substitute fuels such as producer gas is under active consideration. As regards commercial development, producer gas vehicles operate in this particular respect at a considerable advantage because the fuel is duty free. For the heavier types of vehicle there is the further advantage that the rate of vehicle duty is lower than that for vehicles using petrol or diesel oil.