George A. Codding, Jr., Governing the Commune of Veyrier: Politics in Swiss Local Government, 1967.
Chapter Two
The Land and Its PeopleThere are numerous informal factors that affect the functioning of a society's problem-posing and decision-making processes. The commune of Veyrier is no exception. An identification and evaluation of some of these factors selected for their importance is therefore an essential prelude to an investigation into the details of the more formal aspects of Veyrier's government and administration.
Veyrier's Historical Heritage The commune of Veyrier has had a rich and colorful history. This history, which is as long as that of most nation states and much, much longer than that of the United States, provides the people of the commune with a sense of unity and continuity, as well as a great deal of pride. This sense of pride on the part of the people of Veyrier and the people of most other communes in the canton is a vital element in the preservation of communal autonomy in the political system of the canton of Geneva.
Although the exact date when man first lived in the region of Veyrier is not known, there is ample evidence that this area of the world has long been attractive to mankind. In 1833, for example, a Dr. Mayor from Geneva discovered traces of an early Paleolithic habitat and some excellent examples of Magdalenian art at the base of the Saleve.1 There are evidences of visits in the region by men of succeeding ages and by the time of the Celts it seems fairly certain that Veyrier was inhabited in a permanent manner.
The people of Veyrier came under the domination of the Romans, and when they left were subject to invasion by various barbarian groups. The Burgundians who invaded from the west in the fifth century, for example, gave Veyrier and the surrounding areas their French language.
There was little of importance in the history of Veyrier in the Middle Ages. In contrast to the movement toward independence that was occurring in other parts of Switzerland, symbolized by the Treaty of 1291 bringing the forest cantons into perpetual alliance against all enemies, the political life of the people living at the base of the Saleve was quiet. The name "Veyrier" did, however, appear for the first time in 1201 in the records of a dispute between neighboring lay and ecclesiastical authorities.
In the sixteenth century Veyrier became directly involved in a series of important events. In the early part of the century, for instance, a conflict broke out between Geneva and the Duke of Savoy in which Geneva was forced to call on Berne, a neighboring member of the Swiss Confederation, for help. With the help of troops from Berne, Geneva was able to achieve victory; her independence from Savoy was granted in February, 1536.
In the conflict, the Bernese forces had taken possession of several areas in the vicinity of Geneva, including Veyrier. Rather than turn them over to the newly independent Geneva, however, Berne decided to annex them. Among the changes that were imposed on the citizens of Veyrier, while a part of Berne, was the abolition of the Catholic religion and the substitution of the Protestant religion, which had been embraced by the Bernese authorities after the Reformation. In 1564, however, in order to consolidate its claim of sovereignty over neighboring Vaud, the Bernese returned these areas to the Savoyards, and within a relatively short length of time the Catholic religion once again became the official religion. In addition, it should be noted that the plague struck Veyrier in the 16th century, bringing with it an "epidemic of death."
The Treaty of Turin of 1754, between the Kingdom of Sardinia and the Republic of Geneva, touched on the lives of the inhabitants of Veyrier when it attempted to establish once and for all the exact borders between the Republic of Geneva and the Kingdom of Sardinia in the region of Veyrier. While the largest part of the region was certified as belonging to Sardinia, certain areas became a part of the Republic. Those individuals in the Veyrier region who did not want to submit to the Savoyard laws and the Catholic religion were given a delay of 25 years to sell their lands and to retire to Geneva. The Republic of Geneva was given the same delay to close its Protestant church in the area that became Savoyard.
For a period of about 40 years after the Treaty of Turin, the commune of Veyrier was able to engage in orderly growth. New buildings were constructed and plans were completed for the draining of the swamps of Veyrier and Troinex. In 1782 a bridge was built over the Arve to replace the ferry, providing for a faster means of communication between Veyrier and the city of Geneva. A request on the part of the washerwomen to have a roof built over the communal washing place to protect them from inclement weather, however, was received with a less than enthusiastic response.
In September, 1792, an army of the French Revolution invaded Savoy, and Veyrier and its surrounding communes became French. As a part of France, Veyrier saw the last remnants of feudalism swept away, and it became subject to the revolutionary and imperial experiments in local government that followed.2
By 1800 the local government in French territory had taken the form that has lasted to the present day. France was divided first into departments headed by a prefect, and then departments were divided into arrondisements headed by a sub-prefect; the prefects and sub-prefects were agents of the central government. Communes were created at the local level, headed by an elected mayor and municipal council. In 1801, Veyrier had a mayor and seven municipal councillors.
The last change in nationality of the inhabitants of the commune of Veyrier occurred in the year 1816 when, by the provisions of the Treaty of Turin of that year, Veyrier and thirteen other Sardinian communes and pieces of Sardinian communes in the area were turned over to Geneva. Since Geneva had entered the Swiss Confederation the year before, the people of Veyrier village became Genevese and Swiss at the same time.
It was several years before all of the details of the size and shape of the new commune of Veyrier were settled, however. In the first place the authorities of Geneva, in an attempt to dilute what they felt was an opposition on the part of the citizens of the village of Veyrier to the transfer of sovereignty, enlarged the borders of the commune. The areas chosen to be a part of the new commune were the hamlet of Sierne, where almost all of the landholders were Genevese, and the village of Troinex, which had a Protestant and Genevese tradition. Secondly, when it became clear, a year later, that Veyrier was not going to be recalcitrant, Troinex was made into a separate Genevese commune. Finally, although the village of Veyrier had passed almost entirely into Geneva, except for the mill and a few houses which remained Sardinian, some of its communal property did not. The problem of the disposition of this property was not resolved until the signing of a special convention on the subject in 1834.
As we are especially concerned with local government, it should be noted that the French local government institutions were retained for all of the communes of Geneva. In 1818 the mayor of Veyrier was given two deputies, and as the population of the commune continued to grow the number of municipal councillors was increased. The change from the mayor and two deputies to a three-man administrative council in 1967 was the first major departure from the system established earlier.
The final event of importance to the commune was the changeover in the Swiss form of government in 1848 from a confederation to a federation.
Thus, after a very turbulent early history in which the sovereignty over the territory of Veyrier changed with almost sickening frequency, the commune of Veyrier became Genevese and Swiss in 1816, and from that time to the present the rules of government and administration have depended upon laws of the canton of Geneva.
Geography and Economic Organization The commune of Veyrier has become over the years primarily a "bedroom town" for the city of Geneva. The overwhelming majority of its occupants now depends for its livelihood on the income of members of the family who work in the city or in one of the communes that have in effect become a part of the city of Geneva. The exact figures are not available, however, inasmuch as no real attempt has yet been made by either the cantonal or communal authorities to explore the situation in a precise manner. The information which follows should be regarded with these facts in mind.
Veyrier is found on a lightly undulating plain, the soil of which is generally clay fairly rich in humus. The altitude of the commune varies from a minimal elevation of 1,274.67 feet to a maximum of 1,425.27 feet. The annual precipitation is 36.69 inches and there is little danger of freezing or hail. As with the canton as a whole, the climate is temperate. The warmest month is July when the temperature averages 67.19 degrees Fahrenheit and the coldest is January when the temperature averages 33.91 degrees Fahrenheit.3
Veyrier has neither industry nor an important source of raw materials. The History of Veyrier reports that in 1812 there were two tile factories in the commune. These tile factories no longer exist. Several years ago the Titus watch manufacturing company constructed a compact little factory in Veyrier to make watches, but it was closed not long afterward. Rumor has it that the factory was moved to Japan to take advantage of lower labor costs. There is still a fairly large production of stone, but it comes from communal property lying across the border in France, a legacy of Veyrier's change in nationality.
The most important economic enterprise in the commune is that of rose-growing in the village of Pinchat. The highly automated greenhouses of Mr. Fernand Pougnier, one of the deputy mayors of Veyrier, supply the major part of all the roses sold in an area encompassing the cantons of Geneva and Vaud and some of the surrounding French cities. There are the usual stores and other enterprises that cater to the needs of the citizens of the commune, and several restaurants with a canton-wide reputation. In addition, the commune is the location of a cantonal old-age home, an experimental high school, an unwed mothers' home, and a pumping station on the Arve.
Although farming has never been particularly favored in the commune, there are still a number of Veyrier's families making a living from the soil. A detailed survey of the commune made by Napoleon's administrators in 1812, for the purpose of determining the proper tax base, came to the conclusion that the soil of the commune was not very good for farming, except for vineyards, and that the forests were good mainly for firewood.4 A survey made in World War II by the federal authorities to determine just how much Switzerland could rely on its farmers to feed the Swiss population if she were cut off from trade with her neighbors came to a strikingly similar evaluation. At one point in the survey it is stated, "The climate, exposition, and nature of the soil are suitable for the production of grapes, chestnut trees, and walnuts."5 According to the 1960 census, 918.25 acres out of the total of 1,611.09 acres for the entire commune were devoted to agriculture. Of this 448.51 were in pasture and grass, 299.32 in grains, 62.86 in vegetables, 41.54 in colza, 18.03 in potatoes, and 46.21 in grapes. The remainder was in berries and fruits.6
The number of individuals relying on farming for their living is decreasing rapidly. In 1943 there were 59 farms, with an average size of 17.3 acres, on which several hundred people were employed. In 1960 there were only 30 farms, with an average size of a little over 29.7 acres, and fewer than one hundred persons in the entire population of the commune depended upon the farms for a living, including farm owners, their families, and help.
In order to complete our picture of Veyrier some time should be spent on the economic life of the people as a whole, the majority of whom, as was noted, are employed outside of the commune. Table II provides an idea of the occupations of all the residents as well as an indication of the changes that are taking place.
Table II. Occupations of Residents of Veyrier*
Occupation
1941
1960
1. Professional
656
1,098
2. Agriculture and silviculture
108
82
3. Industry, trades and construction
218
381
4. Commerce, transport,communication, and hotel
131
308
♦Figures for 1941 are from Switzerland, Departement de l'interieur, Bureau federal de statistique, Recensement federal de la population, 1 decembre 1941, 12e vol., Canton de Geneve (Berne, 1946), p. 45. (The census of 1940 was held in 1941.) Those for 1960 are from Switzerland, Departement de l'interieur, Bureau federal de statistique, Recensement federal de la population, 1 decembre 1960, 9e vol., Canton de Geneve (Berne, 1963), p. 49.
On paper the inhabitants of Veyrier are not the richest in the canton. In 1965 the average taxable income of an inhabitant of Veyrier was only 2,656 Swiss francs, while the average for the whole canton was 7,493.7
Only four communes, Choulex, Confignon, Onex, and Puplinge, had lower taxable incomes. Regarding personal wealth, on the other hand, Veyrier was in a better position. In 1965 the average taxable wealth of an inhabitant was 12,948 Swiss francs as against the cantonal average of 17,378. This placed Veyrier in the rank of 25th among the 45 communes. Veyrier was also 18th in taxable corporation profit of 280,000 in 1965 and 15th in taxable corporation capital with 10,435,000. Although the ranking is much better in these last two categories, it is all a little deceiving in view of the fact that because of the pattern of business concentration sources of tax are concentrated in only a few communes. The city of Geneva, for instance, accounted for 1,689,222 francs out of a cantonal total of 2,226,156 francs of personal income, 354,745,000 francs out of a total cantonal taxable corporate profit of 433,935,000 and 4,974,854 out of the total cantonal taxable corporation capital of 5,796,597.8
Demographic Characteristics
With its population of 3,325, Veyrier in 1965 was the 12th largest commune out of the 45 which make up the canton of Geneva. As a general .rule the larger communes border on the city of Geneva and the smaller ones, like Veyrier, are still somewhat separated from the city. An important exception to the rule is the commune of Meyrin with 10,169 people in 1965, which is fifth in size, having almost tripled in population between 1961 and 1965 as a result of the creation of a satellite city within its borders by the canton. There has been talk of creating a satellite city on the open land at the curve of the Arve river within the commune of Veyrier, but so far nothing definite has been done.
There are two major centers of population in the commune, the village of Veyrier and the village of Pinchat. When Veyrier became a part of the canton of Geneva in 1816, the village with its 320 population was the dominant center, followed by the village of Troinex and the hamlet of Sierne. From 1817, when Troinex was separated from the rest of the commune to form a commune of its own, until the beginning of the twentieth century, Veyrier village dominated the commune. Under the guidance of M. Henri Baumgartner, deputy mayor of the commune from 1922 to 1931, the development of the plateau of Pinchat on the other side of the commune began early in the twentieth century. Pinchat now rivals the village of Veyrier as a center of population. In addition to the villages of Veyrier and Pinchat, the commune contains Sierne, still a hamlet, and the other hamlets of Grand-Donzel, Les Combettes, Le Re-posoir, Les Bois-Carres, Les Marais, Le Petit-Veyrier, Place Verte, Vessy, and Drize. The hamlet of Drize is situated partly in the commune of Veyrier and partly in two other communes.9
The attainment of a population of over 3,000 inhabitants has been a slow process. In 1850 Veyrier contained 567 inhabitants, not many more than it had at the time of its annexation to Geneva. By 1900, however, it had almost doubled to 971 as a result of the inauguration of a narrow gauge railway from Geneva. The railway made it possible for one to commute daily from Veyrier to the city of Geneva. Further, it brought tourists to Veyrier, many of whom decided to become residents. The population increased as the service between Veyrier and Geneva was improved, including the electrification of the line in 1898. In 1920 the village passed the 1,000 population mark, but by 1950 was still only 1,941. The big increase in the first five years of the 1960's, bringing it over the 3,000 mark, was due in a large measure to a surge in the number of automobiles and perhaps the beginning of a disenchantment with city living.
Most of the normal increase in population in the commune over the years has been a result of immigration rather than births. The 1965 figures make this clear. In 1965 only 1,374 of the commune's 3,325 inhabitants came originally from the canton of Geneva, 1,125 originated in cantons other than Geneva, and 826 were foreigners. Of the total residents in Veyrier in 1940, only 293 gave Veyrier as their commune of birth; in 1950 there were 265, and in 1960 there were 239.10 In 1965 there were 48 live births while 795 persons migrated to the commune to take up residence. On the other side of the figures there were 52 deaths, and 696 people moved out of the commune, for a total population gain of 95. To round out these demographic statistics, it may be mentioned that there were 19 marriages in 1965 and two divorces.
Religious Composition
Veyrier is also a victim, or the beneficiary as the case may be, of the phenomenon of religious dualism which has attracted many of the stu-
9See Annuaire Genevois, 1966 (Geneva: Chapalay et Mottier, S.A., 1966), p. 74.
10The figures in this paragraph were taken from: Annuaire statistique, 1965, p. 16; Recensement federal de la population, 1941, p. 43; Recensement federal de la population, 1960, p. 46; Switzerland, Departement de l'interieur, Bureau federal de statistique, Recensement federal de la population, 1 decembre 1950, 7e vol., Canton de Geneve (Berne, 1955), p. 46.
dents of nation building to Switzerland.11 The experience of Veyrier is different from that of the canton as a whole, however, in that the commune has moved over the years from a predominantly Catholic, rather than Protestant, majority to the status of a mixed religious community.
When Veyrier became a part of the canton of Geneva, it was almost exclusively Catholic and the more Protestant hamlet of Sierne and the village of Troinex were added to make a better balance of religions. It has been suggested, in fact, that one of the major reasons why Geneva did not take more Sardinian territory in 1816 was the desire not to see the Protestant character of Geneva threatened. In the early years of annexation the dislike of many of the Catholic Veyrites was expressed in numerous ways. Many inhabitants, for instance, sent their children to Catholic schools in France rather than to the Protestant-dominated schools of Geneva. During the Sonderbund War, many of the Catholic inhabitants of the commune did not hide their sympathy for the Catholic secessionists and nineteen of the twenty youths called up to serve in the Protestant army slipped across the border into Savoy where they waited out the conflict.12
Since the turn of the century, however, Veyrier has assumed a mixed religious character as is seen in Table III.
Table III. Religious Breakdown of the Inhabitants of the Commune of Veyrier, 1900 to 1965 *
Year Protestants
Catholics
Other
Total
1900 145
632
3
780
1941 778
828
21
1,627
1950 807
937
69
1,813
1960 1,196
1,413
96
2,705
1965 1,344
1,705
276
3,325
*From Recensement federal de la population, 1900,
p. 193; 1941, p.
42; 1950,
p. 47; 1960, p. 47; and Annuaire statistique, 1965, p. 23.
J1 Another phenomenon given a good deal of attention in the works of those writing on Switzerland, linguistic plurality, is not an important factor in the lives of the inhabitants of Veyrier. Veyrier is and has been inhabited overwhelmingly by those who profess to be French-speaking. In 1900, for instance, 739 spoke French, 28 German, 13 Italian, and one listed as "other." The 1960 census revealed that 2,054 residents of Veyrier professed to be French-speaking and only 263 spoke German, 195 Italian, and other languages were spoken by 193. See Switzerland, Departement federal de l'interieur, Bureau federal de statistique, Resultats statistique du Recensement federal de la population, 1 de-cembre 1900 (Berne, 1904), p. 193 and Recensement federal de la population, 1960, p. 47.
12See Histoire de la Commune, pp. 105-106.
Although this religious dualism does have an effect on the political system of Veyrier through the make-up of its parties, it should be noted that religious interference in the social life of the community is strictly limited. The constitution of 1848, which changed Switzerland from a confederation to a federation, and the revision of 1874 are both heavily weighted with provisions restricting the activities of the churches. The civil marriage ceremony, for instance, is the only one which is legal in the eyes of the law, and all records of births, deaths, and marriages were taken out of the hands of the clergy and placed in the hands of the civil authorities.
Veyrier is the witness of an amusing result of the constitutional provision that placed cemeteries in the hands of civil authorities; there had been conflict in the past over the right of non-church members to be buried. The Jews of the canton of Geneva, preferring to be buried in their own cemetery rather than in a non-denominational one, arranged for the purchase of some land in France, just over the border of the commune of Veyrier, to be used for this purpose. In order to remain within the law, only the gate to the cemetery is found within Swiss territory.
Notes 1 See Histoire de la Commune, p. 11. The material in this historical section is taken largely from this interesting publication.
2 For a detailed account of French local government from 1789 to 1814, see Alfred Rambaud, Histoire de la Civilisation contemporaine en France (1789-1912) (Paris: Librairie Armand Colin, 1926), pp. 62-72.
3 These figures and the figures which follow in this section, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Annuaire statistique, 1965 and Switzerland, Office federal de guerre pour l'alimentation, Section de la production agricole et de 1'economie domestique, Cadastre de la production agricole de la Commune de Veyrier, releve les 5 et 6 avril 1943 (Zurich, June, 1944). No comparable survey has been made since.
4 See Histoire de la Commune, pp. 86-89.
5 See Cadastre de la production agricole, p. 3.
6 Annuaire statistique, 1965, pp. 158-159. The only animal census of the commune that the author could find was a part of the 1943 survey which showed that in 1943 there were 219 head of cattle in Veyrier (including 118 cows), 80 pigs, 41 goats and 1,637 sheep. This was, it should be remembered, a time when agriculture and stock raising was being emphasized by authorities on all levels of Swiss government. See Cadastre de la production agricole, p. 3.
7 One Swiss franc approximates twenty-three cents American.
8 Annuaire statistique, 1965, p. 245.
9 See Annuaire Genevois, 1966 (Geneva: Chapalay et Mottier, S.A., 1966), p. 74.
10 The figures in this paragraph were taken from: Annuaire statistique, 1965, p. 16; Recensement federal de la population, 1941, p. 43; Recensement federal de la population, 1960, p. 46; Switzerland, Departement de l'interieur, Bureau federal de statistique, Recensement federal de la population, 1 decemhre 1950, 7e vol., Canton de Geneve (Berne, 1955), p. 46.
11 Another phenomenon given a good deal of attention in the works of those writing on Switzerland, linguistic plurality, is not an important factor in the lives of the inhabitants of Veyrier. Veyrier is and has been inhabited overwhelmingly by those who profess to be French-speaking. In 1900, for instance, 739 spoke French, 28 German, 13 Italian, and one listed as "other." The 1960 census revealed that 2,054 residents of Veyrier professed to be French-speaking and only 263 spoke German, 195 Italian, and other languages were spoken by 193. See Switzerland, Departement federal de l'interieur, Bureau federal de statistique, Resultats statistique du Recensement federal de la population, 1 de- cembre 1900 (Berne, 1904), p. 193 and Recensement federal de la population, 1960, p. 47.
12 See Histoire de la Commune, pp. 105-106.