FABIAN SOCIETY.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 11478, 28 August 1915, Page 11

FABIAN SOCIETY.

THE ELECTIVE EXECUTIVE,

At a - meeting of the Fabian Society the following .statement was read by a member and approved, by tho society : This sociely wishes to point, out the fallacy ol regarding the present coalition. Ministry as an example of an elective executive. There is but one i'aint- resemblance', between them, i.e., the present. Ministry includes members Uaiuilly representing opposed narties in the House, and it is ino<t likely that an elwtive executive 1 uould comprise S'epresentsitivt'f. of various' parties. " Switzerland possesses the classic example of the elective executive, and there, it is the. most pronounced kuc--cess. ft is, therefore, upon the Swissmodel that any such system for Xcw Zealand must be based. "The elective executive. as instanced in the land of its birth, is not a fusion of parties: there are as many parties in trie .Swiss Parliament as in most Parlinncots. and their criticism is free and uni vamc'led. 'flu: Minister* in an elective- executive' are much like tho permanent head- ot departments of our public service, with the. differonce that they .di have access to the House, have the i-'ght to debate on any measure, the. right to introduce measures and generally to act as members, except that they have no votes., for when a member of Parliament is elected, to the Ministry he ceases to be a member of Parliament, and his place in Parliament is filled through a by-e-lection. '' Tlie .Swiss Parliament is elected for three years, and the Ministry is elected for the life of tho Parliament. " Parliament is responsible for maki ing the law-, the .Ministers administer i ihem. Parliament give* its orders, j Miiii-tef.s carry them out. The oxecu- } tive and' tho legislative functions of j government are thus vosiei'l. as it were. ! in sep.irate bodies, a diarae.iemtic of j guv< nrment most highly <!<v-irab!e. " How different are the relations between. our Ministry and' Parliament. On the nature of tho Bills to he introduced by Ministers hango the faU of the ' country. Without their approval I' practically no measure can pass the 1 lou.se, and tho defeat of any important Ministerial measure would almostcertainly result in a dissolution. Such concentration of power is the negation of democracy, for thong!) the whole people, have elected their representatives the bakers' dozen can di>-m;ss them. " Such a state of- things is impossible in Switzerland, ami should be import- . siblo here. It would fie impossible were I the executive elected and' controlled as is the Swiss, and so made tli<> servantinstead of the master of Parliament:.'"''