DISMANTLING IN GERMANY
SIR,—Being a faithful reader of your paper for mare than twenty years, I was particularly interested in your remarks of August 19th on the vexed problem of dismantling German factories The most painful object is the August Thyssen works at Duisburg-Hamborn. Three hundred and sixty thousand tons of structure-steel are to be converted into scrap, fundaments 24 yards deep will be rendered absolutely valueless. Against a book-value of 140 million marks, only 20 million will be credited to the account of reparations. Why cannot the works be bought up by an Anglo-French-American syndicate, the proceeds to be credited to reparations ? Run by such a syndicate under the management of foreigners and with a board of directors composed of representatives of the Allied Powers, stirely every guarantee against " militarism " would be given. And, as you correctly point out, a long lasting source of bitter feeling would be avoided.
And allow me to mention another sore point : why continue destroying the island of Heligoland, this jewel of nature? Why not let it become English again as it was until 1895? There, too, you would have full guarantee against the danger of revived " militarism," and, moreover, a potential weapon in your hands ?—I have the honour to be, Sir, yours
truly, A. FINKE. Hamburg/24, Papenhuderstrasse 35.
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