22 
II.—PRIVATE FIRMS AND COMPANIES. 
thus credited for provident purposes is usually one-half.( a ) In a 
few cases( b ) the provident fund is supplemented, or even entirely 
supported, by sums representing the bonus due to employees who 
have not fulfilled certain conditions to entitle them to participate 
individually. 
Purposes to which Provident Funds are applied. 
Provident schemes may generally be divided into two classes, 
viz. : (1) those in which a common fund is established for the 
benefit of employees, and (2) those in which separate amounts 
are credited to individual employees. In the case of (1) the 
purposes include provision for the necessities arising from sick 
ness, old age, disablement, and death, and also, in the case of 
female employees, for a marriage dowry. Instances of schemes 
making provision for sick allowances are Nos. 5, 9, 25, and 
43. Provision for the payment of superannuation grants is made' 
by Nos. 9 and 25. Provision is made against disablement by No. 9 
and for the payment of a sum on the death of the participant by 
Nos. 5, 9, and 25. Provision for marriage is made in the case 
of female employees by Nos. 5 and 35. In cases where the deferred 
bonus is the individual property of employees, definite provision 
is made in some instances for the payment of the amount accumu 
lated on the attainment of a certain age(°) or after a certain period 
of service^); while it is provided in other instances( 0 ) that the 
deferred bonus may only be withdrawn in special approved cir 
cumstances. In the case of No. 30 the money set aside is for a 
sick club, the balance at the end of each year being distributed 
among the employees. Some gas companies, while not retaining 
the “withdrawable” half of the bonus (see p. 63) for definite 
provident purposes, try to ensure that it shall be so retained by 
warning employees against regularly withdrawing this half; some 
companies( f ) say that if employees do not save their bonuses as 
intended they will be removed from the list of participants’, 
while othersfo) say that breach of this rule may lead to their profit- 
sharing schemes being discontinued. 
( a ) One-half in the case of Nos. 5, 11, 20, 24, 39, 41, 55, 82, 93, 96, 98, 99, 105, 
107, 108, 111, 123, 132. In the case of No. 23, the proportion is two-thirds, 
while it is one-third in the case of No. 29, one quarter in the case of No. 30, and 
one-tenth in the case of No. 49. In the oase of No. 91 the whole of the bonus 
is to be regarded as held for provident purposes after a £10 share in the under 
taking has been purchased by bonuses. 
( b ) See rules applying to Nos. 25 (pp. 36-38), 49 (pp. 49-52), and 78 
(pp. 46-49). In the case of No. 43 the provident fund is accumulated from the 
bonuses due to employees with less than 12 months’ service, or who leave before 
the expiration of the year for which the bonus accrued ; while with No. 87 the 
bonus due to employees who leave during the year is credited to a Sick Fund. 
The provident fund is supplemented by the bonuses due to casual hands in the 
case of No. 5. 
(°) This varies from 55 in the case of No. 37, 60 for men and 55 for women 
in the case of No. 30, 60 in the case of Nos. 29 and 41, to 65 in the case of No. 23, 
and 70 in the case of No. 20. No age-limit is laid down by No. 11, money being 
paid when employee is considered pensionable. 
( a ) Defined as 25 years by Nos. 20, 23, 39, and 30 years by No. 29. 
(") Nos. 5, 24, 27, 55, 91,' 108, 132. ( f ) Nos. 82, 93, 105, 107.