Polska Komisja Likwidacyjna w Krakowie 1918–1919 (władze, aparat urzędniczy i baza lokalowa)

Abstract

POLISH LIQUIDATION COMMITTEE IN KRAKOW 1918–1919 (AUTHORITIES, BUREAUCRATIC APPARATUS AND OFFICES)

The Polish Liquidation Committee (Polska Komisja Likwidacyjna, PKL) was established on 28 October 1918 by representatives of Polish Galician political parties. It was to function as the provisional organ of power in West Galicia until the takeover of that region by the central government based in Warsaw. According to the original plan, the territorial range covered by PKL’s power was to include the entire Galicia region, however, the situation changed when the Polish-Ukrainian military confl ict broke out on 1 November 1918. Ukrainian takeover of East Galicia convinced the Committee’s authorities to stay in Kraków, although there had been plans to move PKL’s headquarters to Lvov. The Polish Liquidation Committee operated for three months and was replaced by the Ruling Committee (Komisja Rządząca). PKL consisted of 23 members representing major Polish political parties, of which the most represented were: Polish People’s Party “Piast” (Polskie Stronnictwo Ludowe “Piast”) – 6 seats, National Democratic Party (Stronnictwo Demokratyczno-Narodowe) – 4 seats, and Polish Social Democratic Party of Galicia and Silesia (Polska Partia Socjalno-Demokratyczna Galicji i Śląska) – 4 seats. PKL’s Presidium, selected on 4 November 1918 consistes of: Wincenty Witos (who was assigned the post of President of that governmental body), Jędrzej Moraczewski, Tadeusz Tertil and Józef Ptaś. It was on the same day that the heads of the 12 PKL departments responsible for the various spheres of social and economic life were appointed. The most notable among them were Zygmunt Lasocki (Head of the Department of Administration), Jędrzej Moraczewski (Head of the Department of Supplies), Władysław Długosz (Head of the Department of Agriculture), Emil Schmidt (Head of the Department of Treasury), Józef Ptaś (Head of the Department of Justice), and Włodzimierz Tetmajer (Head of the Department of the Military). Throughout PKL’s existence it was forced to practically combine two kinds of power: it was both a legislative and an executive body. The Committee’s orders were then accomplished by lower rank West Galician institutions and offi ces. The first document that comprehensively defi ned PKL’s basic policy guidelines was passed during the Committee’s plenary meeting on 4 December 1918 and was titled Projekt kompetencji PKL (PKL’s Competence Project). According to that document, PKL as a governmental body was to play a central role in the resolving of all issues concerning the “liquidation of the former Austrian state structures”. The Committee’s activity in all the other fields was seriously limited and directly dependent on the central government in Warsaw. The recruitment of PKL officials was organized on rather inconsistent principles. The remuneration system also revealed considerable inconsistency and diversity. Initially, the number of officials employed in PKL’s various departments was quite small; in fact, most of these governmental structures should be considered understaff ed by today’s standards. According to data of mid-January 1919, there were 31 employees in the Department of Administration, 5 in the Department of Education, 12 in the Department of Industry, Handicrafts and Trade, 11 in the Department of Treasury, and 8 in the Department of Health and Welfare. According to data of December 1918, the Presidium Office employed 17 persons. PKL encountered certain practical problems resulting from the lack of office space necessary for its proper functioning. At the beginning, the Committee’s authorities had their seat in the facilities temporarily made available for their use in the building housing Kraków’s Municipal Council. On 5 November 1918 PKL’s headquarters were moved to Krzysztofory Palace in the Main Market Square (the Presidium and some of the departments had their offices here). The building had undergone renovation in the years1917–1918, so PKL officials moved to a facility that was in a relatively good condition. Other PKL departments were situated in several different locations scattered around the city, for example, the Department of Treasury had its seat in the building adjacent to Krzysztofory Palace – the Spiski Palace, the Department of Agriculture was based in a house in Czysta St, and the Department of Supplies in Radziwiłłowska St.