MAJORITY REPORT. 
ah 
31 
C—. 
statement as to whether, though absent from work at the time, 
it was her intention to resume employment in the future. The 
woman who satisfied her Society that she had not definitely given 
up employment was allowed to retain the title to all benefits 
under her existing insurance, while the woman who was treated 
as having given up employment was allowed to exercise an option 
between taking up a new voluntary insurance for reduced benefits 
at a low rate of contribution, or drawing in times of illness upon 
the very limited amount of her own transfer value. These pro- 
visions were found thoroughly unsatisfactory in practice, mainly 
on the ground that the action to be taken by the Society depended 
upon a statement of the woman’s intention, which was in the 
hature of things impossible of verification, and also by reason 
of a decision of the Court of Appeal (Davidson v. New 
Tabernacle (Old Street Congregational) Approved Society [1916], 
2 K.B. 80), which appeared to place upon the section an inter- 
Pretation which would have proved most embarrassing in 
administration. 
513. The position was thoroughly examined in 1916 by the 
Departmental Committee on Approved Society Finance and 
Administration, and the Report of that Committee contained 
Tecommendations designed to clarify the position and to over- 
come the administrative difficulties to which the provisions of 
the Act of 1911 had given rise. These recommendations were 
embodied in the Bill of 1918, but in the course of the passage 
of the Bill through Parliament they became the subject of some 
criticism which was mainly directed against the proposal that 
one of the options to be allowed to insured women who cease 
Work on marriage should be the right to receive a lump sum 
Payment by way of a marriage benefit or bonus. It was urged 
that this was not a proper use to which to put funds collected 
for Insurance purposes under a system of compulsory contribu- 
tions. As a result of this criticism the Bill was amended and the 
Scheme which is now in force and is contained in Section 56 of 
the Act of 1924., was substituted. 
514. The present provisions of the Act relating to married 
Women differentiate between those insured women who continue 
0 employment after marriage and those who are regarded as 
having then ceased to be employed, and a definite test, easy of 
Application, is provided to determine whether a woman is to be 
treated as having ceased employment or not. A woman who at 
the time of her marriage, or within one year thereafter, has had 
& period of eight consecutive weeks’ absence from work other- 
Wise than by reason of illness is to be treated as having ceased 
to be employed, and from the end of those eight weeks a special 
limited form of insurance (Class K) is provided for her. On the 
Other hand, a woman who has not had eight weeks of such 
Absence from work continues in insurance as an employed con- 
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