SECRET SERVICE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 313, 1 July 1912, Page 4

SECRET SERVICE.

During the past few months the cable columns of the newspapers have recorded the arrest and imprisonment in Europe of quite a number of persons on charges of attempting to traffic in State secrets.. instances which thus come to light represent the failures of the great secret service organisations maintained by Britain and the Continental Powers. Of the successes we hear nothing, as the Secret Service does not advertise its triumphs. While we can admire the daring of the regular Secret Service officer who enters an enemy's country to secure information on behalf of the Government of his own nation, it is impossible to find an ethical defence for an individual who sells the secrets of his own country to a foreign Government, or for the Government which purchases its information from such a source. In the one case subterfuge and duplicity are redeemed by the saving grace of patriotism, while in the other no such saving grave exists. The frequency with which cases o'f the kind chronicled in our cable columns last week have lately been brought to public notice would seem to show that a great deal of ihe secret service expenditure of some of the European Powers is being devoted to the corruption of citizens of other nations. According to a Parliamentary White Paper issued by the British Government last month, the sum of £1,054,025 was avowedly spent by Britain and' five Continental Power* during 1911 on secret service work. Russia, perhaps by reason of the fact that all her police operations are more or less secret, heads the list with £775,000. Of this sum £380,000 is set down, without details, as "expenditure under direct order of the Emperor," and £335,000 is given under the heading of "miscellaneous police expenditure not subject to publication." Italy comes next with £120,000, of which £40,000 is for "secret service," £34,800 for police rewards," and £46,000 for "detective service at home and abroad." Austria-Hungary spent £62,500, under the heading of "Dispositions, ,-funds- and expenditure fof political information, which has not to be accounted for." Germany's Budget discloses exj penditure to the amount of £05,725, : I itemised with beautiful vagueness as follows Foreign Office £50,000, army- | £1725, navy £6500, general staffs of Prussia, Saxony and Wurtemberg £7500. I Britain confesses to £SO,OOO "to defray j the charge of his Majesty's foreign and other secret service," and France sets down £40,000 "for secret service." The results obtained for some of this expenditure might cause consternation in half the chancelleries of Europe if they were only known. ■. :