论民国初年我国的政府救灾行政系统

On Chinese Government’s System of Disaster Relief in the Beginning of Republic of China

作为国家行政要务的救灾,民国初年中央政府救灾机关是内务部,内务部的权力职掌有一个变化的过程;虽然其名义上作为中央一级专门救灾机构,但由于机构初设、经验不足,再加上其他诸多因素的限制,无论是部务还是权限与其他部门如财政部、农商部等都颇有纠缠。至于地方政府救灾机构,作为地方政府组织机构的一部分,虽属专管,但有兼管之嫌。一些专门的赈济机构,只不过有时因灾于公署内暂设,事毕即行撤消。当时除了政府救灾机构外,还存在着具有亚政府色彩社会救灾力量。内务部与地方救灾系统之隶属关系相对自由,并从上到下形成了一个错综复杂的网络格局。总体而论,民国初年的救灾机构从中央到地方都比清末进一步完善,其业务范围也逐渐趋于稳定,但由于中央政权极不稳定,内阁更替频繁,致使中央和地方国家机构撤设变化较多,从而引起救灾机构的相形混乱。

Disaster relief is important in each country. At the beginning of the Republic of China, the Ministry of Internal Affairs was responsible for disaster relief, and its duty had a changing process; a central special disaster relief organization, due to lack of experience, the Ministry of Internal Affairs＇ duty and power were not clearly separated from the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Agriculture and Commerce. Local government disaster relief departments were not independent. Some special relief organizations were established only temporarily, and canceled after the disaster. Besides government departments, there were social relief forces too. The Ministry of Internal Affairs and local disaster relief department were relatively free from each other, which resulted in a complex network. Generally speaking, the disaster relief organizations were more perfect than in late Qing dynasty, and their duties tended to be stable. But the central government was not stable enough, and the cabinet changed frequently, as a result many government organizations changed, and the special disaster relief organizations were correspondingly disordered.