The evening times., 1900-05-26
high PRICE PAID FOR SECRETS.
The World Spy system Costs S25,-
100000 Per Annum.


One Of the unpleasant duties OF Parlia-
ment is the voting every year Of a sum Of
money for the secret service Everyone
knows that II is 70 be used TO b-ibe trait
O-s and reward spies. and there IS nothing
an Erg.ishman so much Cetests as traitor
o. spy. even when he is working for our
Own Government
Consequently our secret service fund Is
probably the smallest in the world Last
year il amounted 10 only $4,000. and not
very much bribery can be Effected with
that. But some years ago IL was three or
four times that sum and some authorities
appear 10 hold the opinion that the inter
csJs of the state would be better served II
II amounted 10 100000 instead Of sl3,-
000.
The spending Of this money is one OF
those few secrets which is really kept
Parliaments votes the money II is paid
into the treasury. Then permission i
given 70 the Secretary for Foreign Affairs.
the Secretary for the Colonies, the Home
Secretary. and the Irish Secretary 10 draw
on il as they require IL. each being allow
Cd a certain fixed fraction OF the whole
amount
Suppose our Ambassador IN Russia sus-
poets that certain preparations are being
made 20 seize a Persian or Chinese port
and he wants TO get some information. he
draws whatever sum is necessary 20 pay
the spy but no one except himself knows
10 whom he pays it.
Many n P's have objected to the pub
lie money being spent in this way. and
year after year they try 10 obtain infor-
nation as 20 whom IL is paid But OF
course to make the names public would
render the fund perfectly useless.
But the most suspicious taxpayer may
Be assured that the money Is properly
spent As a matter OF fact not much more
than half Of the money is ever expended.
the balance being returned 10 the ex-
cheQuer. Moreover. the secretaries OF
state are under oath to spend the money
honestly. When a secretary OF state is al
lutted his share be has to take the fol-
loving oath before a commissioner;
Il swear that the money paid TO me for
foreign secret service. or for detecting.
preventing. and defeating eonspir2cles
against the state has been bona fde ap-
piled to the said purpose and no other
The reason this oath has TO be taken Is
that at one time Il was suspected that the
secret service money was being used Tor
electioneering purposes and for peuslOnins
Government fsvorites-
At present most of the money is spent
by our ambassadors ia foreign countries
In order to know what kind OF foe she
may have TO meet Great Britain must be
made acquainted with the details OF for
eign armies. the power and range OF their
! guns. their new inventions in powder.
/ shells torpedoes. submarine boats. and the
/ like The country must also know what
/ are the Intentions OF other countries to
/ ward her. and if antagonistic. endeavor to
/ thwart them
/ Very valuable information Of this Kind
can only be obtained by bribirg an official
OF a foreign nation and the amount which
one country will spend to get such in
| formation may be gathered from the fact
thar Great Britain paid 10000 for copy
OF the treaty Of Tilsit between France and
| Russia
Foreign countries spend enormous SUMS
| on secret service. France, Germany. am
| Russia have their agents everywhere ard
| there are very few secrets OF any nato1
| which they do not know. for IL is unfcr-
| tunately. the case that in the empioyInen n
Of an governments there are men willing
| 10 betray their country-for cons- d IA
! tiOn.
The sum spent by Russia on secret ser
vice does not fall far short Of $3.50 coo an
| nuaIIy. Germany and France each spends
| close on S5e0, eco, Italy nearly Sl25. .OO0 and
| Austria about the same
| The expenditure under this head OF small
Ter states, such as Belgium. Holland, Den
mark Norway, Sweden, Switzerland. SpziI
and Portugal, is greater than that CT Eng
land, the average sum for each being s5ou
GlOO, GOO. Lord Salisbury the other Ga,
said that the Transvaal spends GSC0,000 .
year on secret service This estimate j
about one-sixth Of the total revenue Of tha
| country.
The whole amount spent in EIrope, Asia