 These were funded with the mandatory contributions of the private mining companies (cooperatives) and served to finance the state mining offices as well as certain mining-related communal activities such as road construction, geological measurements and the training of mining officers and foremen.The new organisation WBK brought together several of these forerunner funds.It took over responsibility for funding the Bergschule Bochum (Bochum mining college, now THGA), which was set up in 1816.