Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1921.djvu/1005

 CONSTITUTION AND GOVERNMENT 953

( Landtag) there is a State Council {Slaatsrat) elected by the Provincial Assemblies on the basis of one representative for every 50,000 inhabitants. Tiie function of the State Council is to advise and control the Diet, and is intended to be a kind of parallel institution to the Reichsrat in the Empire. The State Council has the right of rejecting legislation adopted by the Diet. The Diot electa the Premier, and he appoints the other members of the Cabinet. The Diet is elected for 4 years on the principle of proportimal representation by secret and direct ballot, and the ministry is invested with the powers of the former King.

The Prussian Constituent National Assembly, elected by universal, equal, and secret suffrage of men and women, met on March 14, 1919.

In February, 1921. the elections were held for a Parliament, and resulted in the return of the following parties : — 114 Majority Socialists ; 81 Centre (Catholics) : 26 Democrats ; 75 German National Party ; 29 Independent Socialists; 58 German People's Party; 11 Guelphs ; 30 Communists, and 4 Economic Party : total, 428.

The State Council, composed of 74 members, is made up as follows (April, 1921):— German People's Party, and German National Party, 27 ; Centre, 16 ; Democrats, 4 ; Social Democrats, 18 ; Communists, 2 ; Independent Socialists, 7.

The Cabinet appointed on April 18, 1921, is composed as follows :—

Prime MlniMcr and Minister of National Welfare.— Herr Adam Steger. tcald (Centred

ifiniiUr of Justice— Ren Zehnhoff (Centre).

Minister of Commerce. — Heir Flschbeck (Democrat).

Minuter of the Interior. — Herr Dominicus (Official).

Minister of Agriculture.— Hen Dr. ll'armbold (Official).

Minister of Finance. — Herr Haeniseh.

Minister of Education and Public JVorship. — Herr Becker (Official).

For local government Prussia is divided into Provinces, Government dis- tricts (Regierungsbezirke), urban circles (Stadtkreise), and rural circles (Landkreisc). According to the Constitution, there are IS Provinces, but it is proposed to form Upper Silesia into a new Federal State. Urban circles consist of towns of over 25,000 inhabitants ; rural circles consist of the smaller towns, rural communes (Landgemeinden), and manors (Gutsbezirkc). For provinces and rural circles the local authori- ties of the constituent areas elect deliberative assemblies which appoint executive committees. Each province has a governor (Oberpras-ident) ; each government district has a president, and deals chiefly with local affairs of State concern. In towns the deliberative aiithority is the town council (Stadt- verordnetenversammlung), elected on the system of proportional suffrage. The executive is a magistracy with the bnrgomaster as president. Each rural circle has a Landrat. Local administrative business varies according to the nature of the administrative division. The matters dealt with are such as poor-relief, roads, light railways, &c, but in rural districts they include agricultural interests, and in towns, education, sick-insurance, valuation, col- lection of certain taxes, mustering of recruits, management of gas, water, and electric works, &c.