The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-01-09
INvENTINe SECRET CODES.
Profession Is Highly Paid, but It Calls

for the Rarest Skill.
The invention~sof secret codes is
profession of which but little is known.
There are few. callings, in fact ~
which less knowledge is possessed by
the general public
me necessity for secret codes has in
creased greatly with the prodigioI1s
growth of cable correspondence
Inc nigh rates charged foP@tl1e trans
mission of cable messages made
lengthy communication sins ordinarv
| language an impossibiIity.
The introduction of the first secret
code was the wedge that has widened
ana made way for the vast volumes
OF business that is transactedSby cable
gram. - $500
The lot of professional code-maker
is most difficu1t one
lie is well paid,stlaat is true: but sffle
wear and tear on his mentak faculties
is very severe !.
IN fact 1T is often injurious to them.
The compilationsofan extensive code
requires enormous ingenuity. and ski
Tor an error, however trff1ing, may in
VolVe loss of thousands of pounds to
large business firm by which it is
Occasionally firm will make its own
code, but so often do such codes prove
deiecuVe and have to be Checked
great cost that the services of "a pro
Iesslonal are usually called in at the
TO begin with, thorough knowle,1ga
OF morse telegraphy is, necessary, for
there are certain words which are
speIled alike by the instrument, differ
ing only in the manner of Spacing be-
tween the dot and'idash.1 IN = -
These are known as "nischievous,'
words and must at all hazards be
oIiilted, or q hopeless f1dddle may en- :
sue When the code fsi put to thes test.
Inc codemaker then finds about a
quarter Of million words at his dis
posai, OF which fewer than 10000 are
English. 80, - =
From this stage the code is built M
slowly but surely. for every arrange
ment OF words has to be checked and
rechecked to prevent mistakes.
Bankers codes are the most exten<
slVe, and consequently the hardest. to
compile, but even a small code will
take from six to eight months to make
and bankers from eight months to a
year.
The cost varies from $1,25O to So
800, which is by no means excessive
In view of the great saving a firm with
large foreign correspondence may eff
fect within twelve months
1t costs as much as 81 a word to
cable to some parts. of the world, but
so complete is the saving system Of an
adequate code that message of los
words has been transmitted by the use
of single code word.
The saving in the case of this par
ticular message was over 5000.
= Government codes are compiled by
small force of men, whose identity is
known only to the heads of state.
They are well paid for their services,
for an enormous responsibility is vest
ed in them.
single inaccuracy in their work
might plunge a nation into grave in
ternational difficulty or an outlay of
millions.
A governments expenditure in this
direction runs into thousands every
year, for each department has its spe-
cial code, which is changed every few
months.
The codes of foreign governments are
equally elaborate, and in nearly every
case are compiled on the f1ye-figure
system.
With the single exception of France
they are made by men unknown save
to the leading statesmen. France, how
ever. employs permanent staff of ex-
perts known as the Cabinet Noir, whose
duties solely consist in making codes
and transmitting and receiving all mes
sages dispatched in cypher and relating
to state business. Philadelphia Press.