INTRODUCTION.

19

registered  in  England.  Notice  of  the  establishment ­
  of  new  branches,  and  copies  of  their  rules,
when  necessary,  are  to  he  given  to  the  Registrar;
and  the  rules  of  a  branch  may  be  altered  in  the
same  manner  as  the  rules  of  an  independent  society:
34.  On  the  other  hand,  the  special  powers  of
the  Registrar  to  appoint,  with  the  consent  of  the
Treasury,  inspectors  to  examine  into  the  affairs  of
a  society,and  to  call  special  meetings  of  a  society
upon  application  of  a  certain  number  of  the
members,  do  not  apply  to  a  society  with  branches,
without  the  consent  of  the  central  body  of  the
society;  and  the  power  to  pass  special  resolutions
for  the  purposes  enumerated  in  section  24,  does
not  apply  to  branches.  The  provisions  of  section
25  also  relating  to  the  dissolution  of  registered
societies,  do  not  apply  to  a  society  having
branches,  unless  with  the  consent  of  its  central
body.
35.  The  general  effect  of  these  provisions  seems
to  be  to  enable  the  governing  body  of  an  affiliated
order  to  maintain  the  compact  upon  which  their
union  is  based  more  thoroughly  than  they  could
formerly  do.  When  every  branch  was  ia  law  a
separate  society,  it  could  easily  sever  its  connection ­
  with  the  general  body.  The  result  was  that
secessions  from  these  affiliated  bodies  frequently
took  place,  new  orders  being  formed,  themselves
liable  in  their  turn  to  experience  the  influence  of
disaffection  in  a  similar  manner.  A  branch  was
m  that  respect  in  a  situation  analogous  to  that  of
an  individual  member,  who  could  withdraw  at  his
pleasure.