§ 34. Mrs. Ayrton Gouldasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he is aware that Henckel and Company, at Düsseldorf, the largest soap factory of the Western zone and the only one in Germany where soap powder for washing linen is made, is listed 129 for dismantling; that soap of all kinds is already in very short supply and that any further reduction will not only cause serious hardship in the homes but will also increase the incidence of typhus, dysentery and other diseases induced by lack of cleanliness; and will he take steps to stop the dismantling of Henckel's and other soap factories in the British zone.
Mr. McNeilParts only of the Henckel works are to be dismantled. This is necessary to remove the excessive capacity for the manufacture of glycerine, which 24 was built up within the German soap industry for war purposes. The supply of soap and soap powder, which is limited by factors other than manufacturing capacity, will not be affected. No other soap plants in the British zone are to be dismantled. The answer to the last part of the Question is, therefore, "No."