Any form of
federal organisation is impossible, because federation assumes some
approach to equality amongst constituents. Our local societies, like the
British self-governing Dominions, are practically independent,
especially in the very important department of finance. The Groups, on
the other hand, are like County Councils, local organisations within
special areas for particular purposes, with their own finances for those
purposes only. But the parent Society is not made up of Groups, any more
than the British Government is composed of County Councils. The local
Groups consist of members of the Society qualified for the group by
residence in the group area; the "Subject Groups" of those associated
for some particular purpose.
The problem of the Society (as it is of the Empire) was to give the
local societies and the groups some real function which should emphasise
and sustain the solidarity of the whole; and at the same time leave
unimpaired the control of the parent Society over its own affairs.
The Second Annual Conference of Fabian Societies and Groups was held on
July 6th, 1907, under the chairmanship of Hubert Bland, who opened the
proceedings with an account of the first Conference held in 1892 and
described in an earlier chapter. Fifteen delegates from 9 local and
University Societies, 16 from 8 London Groups, 8 from Subject Groups,
and 9 members of the Executive Committee were present.
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