Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1913.djvu/1411

 AREA AND POPULATION 1289

do not vote. Every citizen who has a vote for the National Council is eligible for becoming a member of the executive.

The President of the Confederation and the Vice-President of the Federal Council are the first magistrates of the Confederation. Both are elected by the Federal Assembly in joint session of the National and State councils for the term of one year, January 1 to December 31, and are not re-eligible to the same offices till after the expiration of another year. The Vice-President, however, may be and usually is, elected to succeed the outgoing President.

President for 1913.— M. Edouard Milller (Bern). Born, 1848. Vice-President. — Arthur Hoffmann (St. Gall). Born, 1857.

The seven members of the Federal Council — each of whom has a salary of 480Z. per annum, while the President has 540Z. — act as ministers, or chiefs of the seven administrative departments of the Republic. These departments are: — 1. Foreign Affairs. 2. Interior. 3. Justice and Police. 4. Military. 5. Finance and Customs. 6. Agriculture and Industry. 7. Posts and Rail- ways. The city of Bern is the seat of the Federal Council and the central administrative authorities.

II. Local Government.

Each of the cantons and demi-cantons of Switzerland is sovereign, so far as its independence and legislative powers are not restricted by the federal constitution ; each has its local government, different in its organisation in most instances, but all based on the principle of absolute sovereignty of the people. In a few of the smallest cantons, the people exercise their powers direct, without the intervention of any parliamentary machinery, all male citizens of full age assembling together in the open air, at stated periods, making laws and appointing their administrators. Such asseml ilies, known as the Landsgemeinden, exist in Appenzell, Glarus, Unterwald, an 1 Uri. In all the larger cantons, there is a body chosen by universal suffrage, called der Grosse Rath, w^hich exercises all the functions of the Landsgemeinden. In all the cantonal constitutions, however, except that of Freiburg and those of the cantons which have a Landsgemeinde, the referendum has a place. This principle is most fully developed in Zurich, where all laws and concordats, or agreements with other cantons, and the chief matters of finance, as well as all revision of the constitution, must be submitted to the popular vote. In many of the cantons, the popular initiative has also been introduced. The members of the cantonal councils, as well as most of the magistrates, are either honorary servants of their fellow-citizens, or receive a merely nominal salary. In each canton there are districts (Amtsbezirke) consisting of a number of communes grouped together, each district having a Prefect (Regierungstatt- halter) representing the canton. In the larger communes, for local affairs, there is an Assembly (legislative) and a Council (executive) with a president, maire or syndic, and not less than 4 other members. In the smaller com- munes there is a council only, with its proper officials.

Area and Population.

I. Progress and Present Condition.

Area and pojmlation, December 1, 1900, and population December 1, 1910. The cantons are given in the official order, and the year of the entrance of each into the league or confederation is stoied :-—