The appearance of an actual three-power administration--army, government, Party--has led to the sharp relative decrease in importance of the four further _Yüan_. The Judicial _Yüan_ (_Ssŭ-fa Yüan_) was even in peace time the least important of the five divisions of the government, failing to display--as an American might expect--a tendency toward effective judicial independence to counterweight the executive and legislative. The Legislative _Yüan_ (_Li-fa Yüan_), while exceedingly active in the years between the Mukden and Loukouchiao incidents, has been reduced in importance by the coming of hostilities. Its work has been confined largely to drafting the Permanent Constitution, and continued codification of administrative law--particularly for coordination of central government and war area (occupied China) affairs.[25] The Examination _Yüan_ (_K'ao-shih Yüan_) has attempted to continue in the field of civil service reform, and the Control _Yüan_ (_Chien-ch'a Yüan_) has maintained war-time efforts. [Footnote 25: Statement to the author by Sun K'ê (Sun Fo), President of the Legislative _Yüan_, Chungking, July 17, 1940. A summary of the work of the _Yüan_ will be found in various issues of _The Chinese Year Book_; in Escarra, Jean, _Le Droit Chinois_, cited above, containing bibliographies; and in Tyau, M. T. Z., "The Work and Organization of the Legislative _Yüan_," _The China Quarterly_, Vol. 2, No. 1 (Christmas Number, 1936), p. 73-88.] The Legislative _Yüan_, under the _Yüeh Fa_ of 1931, consists of a _Yüan-chang_, a _Fu-yüan-chang_, and forty-nine to ninety-nine members (_Li-fa Wei-yüan_), appointed by the Supreme National Defense Council for a two-year term upon nomination by the _Yüan_ President. The term's shortness increases the dependence of members upon the President, and transforms the _Yüan_ to a legislative study institute. Furthermore, the newly-developed People's Political Council has assumed the function of representation. The President of the _Yüan_ retains sole and arbitrary power over the agenda, the final decision, and the allocation of personnel, although the incumbent, Dr. Sun K'ê, is one of China's leading moderates and an exponent of constitutional process, not likely to exercise arbitrary power. Apart from its significant constitutional powers, which remain unimpaired, the _Yüan_ finds much of its work performed at present through ordinances of the Supreme National Defense Council, administrative action of the Executive _Yüan_, or commands by the Military Affairs Commission. The jurisdiction retained includes: (1) general legislation; (2) the budget; (3) general amnesty; (4) declaration of war (never exercised); (5) declaration of peace; (6) "other important matters" (which, in practice, has referred to the more open and solemn aspects of treaty-making, and whatever topic may be assigned the _Yüan_ by the highest Party agency).[26]