In the 1890s there were proposals that the various women’s employment societies in existence at that time should combine to create a Central Bureau to provide general information and advice on women’s work. The Bureau was launched in 1897: a lead role in its establishment was taken by Louise Creighton [née von Glehn, 1850-1936, author and activist for a greater role for women in society and within the Church of England]. Other societies were invited to co-operate, including the Society for Promoting the Employment of Women (later the Society for Promoting the Training of Women). The Society did not wish its loan fund to be amalgamated with that of the Bureau and resisted a number of approaches from the Central Bureau proposing closer co-operation between the two bodies during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. They did, however, exchange information on available employment and the Society gave consideration to candidates proposed by the Bureau for its loans. The Bureau was incorporated as the Central Employment Bureau for Women and Students' Careers Association on 31 May 1923. Active members of the Central Bureau in the early 20th century included a number of women who were also members of Girton College, Cambridge, notably Katharine Jex-Blake and Bertha Phillpotts. Miss M G Spencer, secretary to the Central Bureau for many years, was a key figure throughout most of its existence, as was Lady Bryce, who chaired the Executive Committee for many years. When the Bureau was wound up in 1941, the chairman of the Executive Committee gave a number of reasons for its decline, not least of which was that Miss Spencer was no longer able to take an active part in the management. The chairman also cited competition from other training schools, which had caused the number of students and thus income to decrease, and the outbreak of war, at which point student numbers had almost reached ‘vanishing point’ (see GCIP CEBW 1/3 pages 256-259). The Bureau's Loan Fund (established in 1910) continued to be administered by trustees from 1942-1968, at which point the archives of the Bureau were transferred to the Society for Promoting the Training of Women and its remaining funds were credited to the Society's Central Bureau Loan Fund Account. [Notes drawn from the archives and from Anne Bridger & Ellen Jordan, 'Timely Assistance: The Work of the Society for Promoting the Training of Women, 1859-2009', published by the SPTW 2009.]