﻿DETAILED ACCOUNT OF VARIOUS SCHEMES.

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Tunbridge Wells Gas Company, tlie Wrexham Gas Company,
and the Merthyr Tydfil Gas Company, the employees are required
to leave the whole of their first five annual bonuses to be invested
in the Company’s stock: the Dartford Gas Company requires the
first two bonuses to be thus invested. The employees of a large
number of Gas Companies* have to leave for investment the whole
of their bonus until the employee holds a specified amount of
stock or shares. Under the schemes in force with the Walker
and Wallsend Union Gas Company, the Watford Gas and Coke
Company, the Wandsworth and Putney Gaslight and Coke Com-
pany, the Epsom and Ewell Gas Company, and the Harrow and
Stanmore Gas Company, the whole of the bonus is always to be
invested in stock or shares of the Company.

Provisions as to withdrawable Bonus.—So far as concerns the
part (if any) of the bonus which is not required to be invested in
stock or shares of the Company, this money, usually one-half,
is either (a) paid out in cash, as in the cases of the Rugby Gas
Company, the Wellingborough Gas Company, and the Hartford
Gas Company; or (b) is deposited with the Company: in the
latter case it is withdrawable, in many casesf at short notice,
but in some cases* (as with the South Metropolitan Gas Company)
only under special circumstances or for special purposes.

The interest which has been acquired in the capital of these
profit-sharing Gas Companies by their employees amounts in the
aggregate to a very considerable sum; for they own stock or
shares (ordinary) to the total nominal value of £459,581, while the
market value at present prices is considerably in excess of that
amount; they also own preference stock to the total nominal value
of £110, and debenture stock to the total nominal amount of
£627; while they have, on deposit with their respective employers
sums amounting in the aggregate to £142,134.

With respect to the share possessed by these employees in the
control of the affairs of the Companies by which they are
employed, it must be remembered that in most cases sufficient

*	Cambridge University and Town Gas Light Company (£20); Bournemouth
Gas and Water Company, Rugby Gas Company, Cardiff Gas Light and Coke
Company, and Hertford Gas Light Company (£10) ; Croydon Gas Company,
Gas Light and Coke Company, Wellingborough Gas Light Company, Ilford
Gas Company, Weston-super-Mare Gas Light Company, Aldershot Gas,
Water and District Lighting Company, Plymouth and Stonehouse Gas Light and
Coke Company, and Enfield Gas Company (£5).

f South Suburban Gas Company, Chester United Gas Company, Bourne-
mouth Gas and Water Company, Tunbridge Wells Gas Company, Rugby Gas
Company, Gas Light and Coke Company, Wrexham Gas Company, Grantham
Gas Company, Wellingborough Gas Light Company, Dartford Gas Company,
Longwood Gas Company, Liverpool United Gas Light Company, Merthyr Tydfil
Gas Company, Hertford Gas Light Company ; Leamington Priors Gas Company,
Gloucester Gas Light Company, Cambridge University and Town Gas Light
Company, City of Waterford Gas Company, Tottenham and Edmonton Gas
Tight and Coke Company, Croydon Gas Company, Weston-super-Mare Gas Light
Company, Plymouth and Stonehouse Gas Light and Coke Company, Enfield Gas
Company ; in the last nine cases withdrawal is discouraged by the statement
that regular withdrawal will debar an employee from future participation, or
®ay lead to the abandonment of the scheme.

*	Commercial Gas Company, Cardiff Gas Light and Coke Company, Ilford Gas
Company, Wandsworth and Putney Gaslight and Coke Company, Aldershot
Gas, Water and District Lighting Company.