178 
MAJORITY REPORT. 
a list of allocations maintained lest a contributor should be allocated 
more than once—for some persons would refuse to recognise 
the allocation and would continue, for a time, at least, to send 
their cards to the Department. It will be understood that 
preliminary correspondence is often necessary before the position 
in insurance of persons surrendering cards, presumably as deposit 
contributors, can be determined. This is referred to in para- 
graph 99 of Section A of Appendix I to the Minutes of Hvidence. 
Some form of official ‘¢ Clearing House ©” would be inevitable. 
406. No Society or other body has at any time put forward 
a practical scheme for allocating deposit contributors, and we 
are informed that, despite prolonged and careful examination, the 
Department has been unable, so far, to devise one which would 
give satisfaction to insured persons, to Approved Societies, or to 
those who would be required to administer it. Further, having 
regard to the consideration of the shortness of the average insur- 
ance life of deposit contributors, as such, it is doubtful whether, 
weighing the cost against the probable results, the adoption of an 
allocation system could be justified, even if a satisfactory practical 
scheme were forthcoming. In substance, there would be 
elaborate machinery for allocating insured persons, many of 
whom would, in any event, without the intervention of the 
Department. allocate themselves within a short space of time. 
407. We have dealt above with the difficulties of allocation 
chiefly from the point of view of the Department. There is, how- 
ever, another aspect which must be examined. Approved 
Societies are bodies formed by voluntary effort and, as a rule, 
have close relations in each case with some particular form of 
social activity. Some, for instance, are Friendly Societies, 
several of which require special qualifications, e.g., total 
abstinence, for membership. Others are, or exist in connexion 
with, trade unions; yet others are connected with organisations 
engaged in industrial assurance; while a considerable number 
have been established for the employees of particular firms or 
commercial companies. The insured person who cannot find 
one Society to suit him among the diverse organisations which 
open their doors to him is doubtless hypercritical, but his 
susceptibilities are nevertheless so far to be respected that he 
ought not to be forced, by Departmental allocation, into any 
particular Society, regardless of his views upon the subject. The 
fact is that, if every insured person is to be compelled to be 
a member of some Society, a Society must be established by 
the State to receive those persons who object to taking up 
membership in any of the voluntary bodies, and who, if they 
were allotted against their will, could render the whole scheme 
of ‘insurance inoperative, so far as they were concerned, by 
declining to surrender the cards containing the evidence of the 
contributions which had been exacted from them. There are,