240 THE ZEMSTVOS DURING THE WAR 
sidiary institutions and hundreds of thousands of employees could 
not possibly go on without a clearly formulated scheme. 
Such a reconstruction was gradually carried out during the sec- 
ond half of the War. Broadly, it followed the existing models of the 
zemstvo institutions as they had functioned before the War. It 
should be noted, however, that none of the committees of the front 
was able to complete the reorganization. The Union’s committee of 
the western front succeeded in going farthest in this attempt at 
reconstruction, and we shall briefly consider the general outline of 
the organization at that front as it appeared toward the close of 
1916. 
The committee of the front met on the initiative of its chairman 
or of one of his two deputies. These meetings, which usually lasted 
two to three days, resembled the meetings of the zemstvo assemblies. 
As a rule, they were attended by about twenty commissioners and a 
large number of other zemstvo officials, the latter, however, having 
only a consultative voice, without the right to vote. They examined 
questions of principle, relating either to reforms in the organization 
or to fundamental changes in the work of the Union at the front. 
The chairman of the committee and his two deputies were required 
to see that its resolutions were duly executed. The chairman spent 
most of the time visiting the front, maintaining contact with the 
army authorities, receiving their orders, and settling on the spot 
such problems as might arise in the course of the work of local in- 
stitutions. The deputy chairmen remained at the headquarters of 
the committee of the western front at Minsk, whence they attended 
to the current affairs of the Union. 
As it was difficult for the commissioners to leave their headquar- 
ters often, the committee of the front met only on rare occasions. 
For this reason a special executive board was constituted which met 
daily and examined the more important business. The board con- 
sisted of the chairman of the committee, his two deputies, and seven 
members elected by the committee from among the commissioners. 
Matters for discussion were submitted to the board either by the 
chairman or by heads of the department, who had a right to vote in 
matters affecting their respective departments. When appropria- 
tions of funds were examined, a representative of the audit depart 
ment had to be present at the meeting.