MAJORITY REPORT. 
217 
6555-6558) also criticised the scheme on the ground of its com- 
plexity and suggested that the normal provisions of the Act for a 
free year of insurance should be applied. The latter of these 
Societies also submitted interesting tables (App. IX) showing the 
percentage of women who fell under Class K on marriage and the 
relative cost of the two schemes. The National Association of 
Trade Union Approved Societies (App. XCII, 123; Q. 22,057) 
also suggested the application of the ‘‘ free year of insurance ’’ 
but expressed the view that the woman's title to maternity 
benefit should continue for two years after marriage. Again, 
certain witnesses, including the Ancient Order of Foresters (App. 
V, 54-56; Q. 4268, 4278-4284), the Joint Committee of Approved 
Societies (App. XIV, 10; Q. 8237-8241) and the Scottish 
Co-operative Friendly Society (App. LXXVIII, 4; Q. 20,174- 
20,213) suggested that a marriage bonus should be given to 
women on marriage and that the title to all benefits should then 
cease. The present arrangements were also criticised on the 
ground that they provide little incentive to insured women to 
send prompt notification to their Societies of the fact of their 
marriage, with the result that benefits are often paid in the 
first instance at incorrect rates, necessitating subsequent 
adjustments (Kinnear, Q. 229-232; Manchester Unity of Odd- 
fellows, Q. 5843; Order of the Sons of Temperance, Q. 21,433). 
518. Finally, it has been represented to us by several witnesses, 
that the difficulties in administering the present provisions are 
rendered greater at the present time by reason of the necessity 
for applying to each case the provisions of the Prolongation of 
Insurance Act (e.g., Hearts of Oak Benefit Society (App. IV, 
124-126; Q. 38134-3136), Ancient Order of Foresters (Q. 4349- 
4351), Independent Order of Rechabites (App. VIII, 9-11), 
National Conference of Industrial Assurance Approved Societies 
(App. VI, 16)). Under this Act the definite test of 
eight consecutive weeks’ absence from work for deter- 
mining whether a woman is to be treated as having ceased 
employment no longer applies, and in every case where 
there has been this period of absence from work, a 
Society before transferring a woman to the special class 
of insurance has to ascertain whether during the period she has 
been genuinely unemployed and available for work, or not. In 
the former case she is not transferred to the special class but is 
allowed to remain in insurance as an ordinary employed con- 
tributor. This, we are told, removes the main administrative 
advantage of the provisions of the Act of 1918 and reintroduces 
to some extent the necessity for ascertaining intention, which 
oe the main objection to the relative provisions of the 1911 
Ctl. 
519. The objections, from an administrative point of view, to 
the present provisions relating to married women, so far as these 
objections are based on their alleged complexity, appear to be 
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