to the Committees and so meet the demands of their businesses while maintaining a parity with the employed was refused; only a temporary and extraordinary right of sending a special representative was allowed. The Committees elect their own chairmen, deputy-chairmen and secretaries. The chairmen convene the meetings.2

The sessions of the Committees are not open to the public unless publicity is resolved upon by a two-thirds majority of the members, but the members of the Economic Council are free to be present at all Committee proceedings. A subject on the orders of the day may be declared confidential by the Chairman, and must be so declared at the Government's demand. Further, the proceedings relating to a subject may by a three-fourths majority be declared confidential (or at the Government's request, must be); in this case a special meeting must be arranged and all matters there arising be previously declared confidential, and here only Committee members, their deputies, and expressly commissioned Government representatives have the right to be present. The proceedings are reported in full, with the consent of the President of the Economic Council. There is a paid administrative staff of a civil service character of 15, 9 others in occasional employment, and a number of lowgrade employees, charwomen, lift-operator, porters, etc.4

It is the duty of the Committees to deliberate upon the matters put before them, and then to report to the full Assembly, which finally makes a decision. That is to say, before the work of a Committee is allowed to affect the Government it passes through the medium of the whole Federal Economic Council. But if the

1 Geschäftsordnung, Explanations, p. 8.

2 Ibid. Art. 10, Clause 1.

3 Ibid. Art. 11, Clauses 1-4.

4 Cf. Haushalt des vorläufigen Reichswirtschaftsrats für das Rechnungsjahr, 1923, Anlage VIa. Their work not of a high administrative order, but is concerned with reporting proceedings and other executive duties. The general work of preparing agenda and directing the work of the Committee is executed by its elected Bureau. 5 Geschäftsordnung, Deckblatt zur Drucksache, Nr. 167, Art. 13, Clause 1.

administrative bureau of the Economic Council assents, the Committee's resolution can be passed to the Government before the full Assembly has made its judgement upon the report and resolution. and resolution. This again makes for the enhanced importance of Committee work, and allows the Economic Council to operate and have its effect

without too inconvenient a number of full sessions. A Committee resolution so passed to the Government must be placed before the full Assembly as soon as it has met. But Committees may make independent resolutions which need not be placed before the full Assembly if at least three-quarters of the members present so resolve.1 This gives the Committees the right of initiation : right which may be exercised directly vis-à-vis the Government. In the main their work is preparatory for the full Assembly; but the rule discussed above gives a great opportunity for independent action.

a

The general right to initiate has been held to lie only with the full Assembly of the Council. The relations between the Government and the Economic Council will be more fully dealt with in the next chapter, where the constitutional rules will be discussed in relation to the work actually done. On its own side the Government may commission representatives to take part in the proceedings of the Council and its Committees: such representatives have the right to be heard at any time. As far as the Government desires it, therefore, contact with and influence upon the work of the Economic Council is assured. On the other hand, the Economic Council and its Committees are accorded an equal right of requesting the presence of Government representatives. This leaves the way clear for questions and interpellations by the Economic Council to the Government. Questions cannot be put by individual members: in the first twelve months of the Council's

1 Geschäftsordnung, Art. 13, Clause 3.

2 Ibid. Explanations, p. 9, Art. 14.

3 Decree, Art. 10.

activity this was found to inflict too onerous a duty on the Ministers and the Government Departments. Not that the Government representatives are compelled to answer questions orally: that depends upon their inclination and the pressure of other business. But even the mere thinking about the answers and their writing was too great a burden on the Departments, already concerned with two other Assemblies, the Reichstag and the Reichsrat. Questions therefore are only in order from a whole Group or from ten members.1 They are put to the President of the Economic Council, by him sent to the appropriate Committee, the Chairman of which asks the Government to send a representative to deal with the question. If none of the members who put the question is a member of the Committee concerned with the answering of it, at least one of those members must be co-opted by the Committee for the particular purpose of the discussion. The next process can, perhaps, hardly be called one of interpellation, because we associate with that word the idea of a debate in which the Opposition to a Government endeavour to obtain a majority showing no confidence in the Government. Nothing of that sort arises in the Economic Council.2 The Committee, not being satisfied with the information given, is merely provided with the power to resolve that the question shall be further discussed in full Assembly, in the presence of representatives of the Government, and only then.

The Government may defer the discussion by the Council of bills which the latter initiates. It is thus safeguarded against unexpected measures and discussions, and is accorded a certain time for consideration of its attitude and preparation of material for discussion. Besides the ordinary delay of discussion to three days

1 Cf. Geschäftsordnung, Art. 21, and Explanations.

2 Indeed the Government protested that such a procedure did not lie within the constitutional power of the Council; cf. loc. cit. supra.

after introduction, and by Government request, any Group, or at least six members, can request further delay of discussion. This is to give an opportunity for previous Division, Group and Committee discussion before the whole Assembly takes up the task.1

For the full Assembly one-third the membership is a quorum; 2 for the Committees one-half. The latter is an indication of the importance of Committee work to the Economic Council.

4

The

The Decree secures to the member of the Economic Council a compensation for his time, and free travel.3 By a Decree made for the purpose, the members are allowed free travel on all German railways for the duration of their membership and the following week; compensation for each day they spend at a session of the full Assembly or Committees of which they are members or deputy-members. They are equally compensated for the days of recess in the sessions up to five days. Berlin members receive only half the daily compensation of country members. There is a compensation to members not dwelling in Berlin for time travelling to and from the Council. There is specially large pay for the President. Where members belong to another political body they receive no compensation from the Economic Council for the days for which they have otherwise been paid.5

Such are some of the main dispositions of the law relating to the constitution, status and functions of the Council. We are now prepared to observe it in full

3 Cf. Art. 5, Clause 5, App. VI.

4 June 28, 1920, Reichsgesetzblatt, p. 1335.

5 The constant work in the Committees, the increasing amount of work thrown upon the Economic Council, and the pay to members raises the question as to the members' possible loss of touch with their vocational groups and the professionalising of their Council activities. This matter is referred to on p. 217 infra.

The proof of the Superman will be in the living; and we shall find out how to produce him by the old method of trial and error, and not by waiting for a completely convincing prescription of his ingredients.-G. B. SHAW, Man and Superman.

THE Federal Economic Council began its work amid enthusiasm, warnings and doubts. The enthusiasm came from those who had been most active in bringing about its establishment (various high officials connected with the Ministry for Economic Affairs) and the more moderate men and women in industry. Here they saw the opportunity of emancipating themselves from the rule of political parties and of speaking directly with the inner counsels of Government. One of the employers' members, who has since played an extremely hardworking part on the Council, greeted it as an organ with a power of industrial influence through which great idea of an official and comprehensive representation of all that was industrially creative" alongside the Government was first realised. To him it was a preparatory school for economic construction in the great style; a place where the best experts from all branches of industry could come together for constant and close exchange of ideas, and speedily take up an attitude

the

1 This chapter is based upon Stenographic Reports, the Accounts of Committee Proceedings and General Business, and the Printed Pieces of the Federal Economic Council, from its opening on June 30, 1920 to January 31, 1923, as well as interviews and correspondence with the leading men concerned in the constitution and working of the Council.