If the Treasury were to fill old bottles with bank-notes…
“If the Treasury were to fill old bottles with bank-notes, bury them at suitable depths in disused coal-mines which are then filled up to the surface with town rubbish, and leave it to private enterprise on well-tried principles of laissez-faire to dig the notes up again (the right to do so being obtained, of course, by tendering for leases of the note-bearing territory), there need be no more unemployment and, with the help of repercussions, the real income of the community, and its capital wealth, would probably become a good deal greater than it actually is.”
About This Quote
This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.
Keynes proposes a laissez‑faire scheme where private firms retrieve buried banknotes from old mines, theoretically eliminating unemployment and boosting community wealth.
In simple terms: A fanciful plan to dig up hidden money to solve joblessness.
Key Takeaway
Explore realistic job‑creation policies.
Themes
economics
employment
policy
speculation
Mood
skeptical
critical
Type
economic
speculative
When to use this quote
- government budgeting
- private sector initiatives
- community wealth building
- economic experiments
Key Concepts
Laissez‑faire
resource allocation
unemployment solutions
Questions to Reflect On
- Is such a scheme feasible today?
- What ethical issues arise?
A Different Perspective
Practicality is doubtful; risks of fraud and environmental harm.