THE Ninety-ninth Annual General Meeting of THE ROYAL NATIONAL LIFE- BOAT INSTITUTION was held at the Eolian Hall, New Bond Street, S.W. 1, on Tuesday, 17th April, 1923, at 3 p. m., Admiral of the Fleet, the Earl Beatty, G.C.B., O.M. (First Sea Lord), in the Chair. Among those present were :— The Earl Waldegrave, P.O. (Chairman of the Committee of Management), the Earl of Albemarle, K.C.V.O., C.B., A.D.C., Sir Godfrey Baring, Bt. (Deputy Chairman of the Committee of Management), Sir Ernest Glover, Bt. (President of the Chamber of Shipping of the United Kingdom), the Rev. F. W. Townshend, Miss Margaret Bondfield, J.P.

(Secretary of the Women's Section of the National Union of General Workers), Mr. Joseph Conrad, Major Sir Maurice Cameron, K.C.M.G., Mr. Harry Har- good, O.B.E., The Mayor of Kingston, General Sir Charles Monro, Bt., G.C.M.G., G.C.B., G.C.S.I., A.D.C.

General, and the Hon. Lady Monro, Major-General the Right Hon. John E. B. Seely, P.C., C.B., C.M.G., D.S.O., the Hon. George Colville, Sir John G. Gumming, K.C.I.E., C.S.I.., Sir Woodburn Kirby, Brigadier-General Noel M. Lake, C.B., Rear-Admiral Charles Rudd, Captain Sir Herbert Acton Blake, K.C.M.G., K.C.V.O.

(Deputy Master of Trinity House), Commander F. F. Tower, O.B.E., R.N.V.R., Commander G. C. Holloway, O.B.E., R.D., R.N.R., Mr. John Bevill Fortescue, General Sir F. R. Wingate, Bt., K.C.B. (Vice-President of the Dunbar and Skateraw Branch) and Lady Wingate, Major-General John Boughey (Hon. Secretary, Brancaster Branch), Mr. W. Fortescue Barratt (Hon. Secretary of the Civil Service Life-boat Fund), the Secretary of the Navy League, Captain John Nicholson, R.D., R.N.R. (representing the Mercantile Marine Association), the Secretary of the Marine Engineers' Association, Commander Thomas Holmes, R.N.

(late Chief Inspector of Life-boats), Mr. George F. Shee, M.A. (Secretary of the Institution), Captain Howard, F. J. Rowley, C.B.E., R.N. (Chief Inspector of Life-boats), and Mr. Rowland Berkeley (Deputy Secretary).

The CHAIRMAN : My Lords, ladies and gentlemen, it is a very great pleasure for me to take the Chair on this occasion of the Annual General Meeting, more especially as it has to do with a branch of the great sea service upon which the Empire depends, and of which I represent one portion.

Before proceeding to deal with the subject of this meeting, I feel that I must allude to the great regret which we all share for the death of the Earl of Plymouth. He was a Vice-President of this Institution, who was intimately identified with its work, and gave his name and his great influence to its service.

The Annual Report which is to be presented today is very full, and will give you complete information on all the subjects connected with this Institution. But I would say a few things before presenting that Report. I would remind you, ladies and gentlemen, that the Life-boats are essentially a fighting service. The men in it train their courage and acquire their skill in seamanship in a daily struggle with the elements. It is a struggle which lasts all their lives, and so we can conclude that they are a fighting service in the best sense of the word. No better proof could be found than the fact that the Life-boats are always ready for action. They keep their watch round the 3,000 miles of our coast day and night. They can instantly be mobilised at any point and at any hour of the day or the night. Their crews are kept constantly trained, not only by the work of their daily lives, but by the regular exercises which are carried out under the instructors of the Institution. They have a discipline of the highest kind. It is the kind of discipline which you find amongst men who voluntarily accept hazardous'service, and voluntarily place themselves under the command of one of their own comrades. It is a fighting service also in the sense that its men not only continually face hardship and difficulties, but they also face death. That many Life-boat men in the hundred years of the Institution's existence have given their lives on service, is a token to that fact. It is, however, a matter of profound satisfaction that during the last two years ho loss of life has taken place amongst the Institution's crews.

(Applause.) When it is remembered that during that period of time 25,000 men have been afloat in Life-boats on service and on exercises, often in circumstances of the very greatest peril, it is proof not only of the seamanship of the men, but of the quality, design, and workmanship in the boats, and the care and efficiency which has been given to the inspection.

These various qualities which entitle the Life-boats to be called a great fighting service —courage, endurance, readiness for action, perfect training and discipline were shown in a conspicuous degree in the principal service last year, for which the awards are to be given this afternoon. A full account of this service will be read out later on. But it may be pointed out now that this service lasted for two days and a night, and that after a Pulling and Sailing Boat had made two heroic attempts, the struggle was taken up by a Motor Life-boat, which succeeded at its second attempt; and that second attempt was made by the Coxswains of both boats and a'mixed crew from both boats under the command of the District Inspector. Those facts show not only the courage and the persistence of the service in face of enormous difficulties, but they also indicate a discipline of a very high order. (Applause.) There is another test, a supreme test, of a fighting service. It is that it should preserve its organisation and discipline, that it should still carry on, even under sudden and unexpected loss. To that test the Life-boat Service was submitted during the Great War. At the commencement of the war its inspectors rejoined the Navy. The great majority of the young fishermen who formed its crews joined up and manned the mine-sweepers. All construction of new Life-boats was stopped owing to the withdrawal both of skilled labour and of material. Even the repair of the d imaged boats on service was a matter of extreme difficulty. At the same time, the demands on the service were even greater than ever before, and during the year 1915 over 1,300 lives were saved, which is the largest number in any one year since the Institution was founded. To this great test the service responded in a most remarkable manner, and the spirit in which it responded was shown conspicuously on one occasion by Coxswain Swan and the Lowestoft crew, to whom we are doing honour this afternoon.

(Applause.) The incident in question was towards the end of the war. The Lowestoft boat, which then was a Pulling and a Sailing Boat, was called out to help one of His Majesty's sloops, which was wrecked seventeen miles away.

The young men had gone, and the boat was manned by veterans. Twelve of her crew were men of over fifty years of age, and two of the twelve were men of seventy-two years of age.

It took them two hours to reach the wreck, which was then under water, but they reached it and rescued the nine surviving men of her crew. That indicates the spirit of a real fighting service. (Applause.) It is the business of a fighting service to prepare for war in times of peace. In a sense the Life-boat Service knows no time of peace; but during the Great War all work of preparation was impossible. Since the return of peace it has been very busy completing and carrying on the important work of equipping the service with motor-power, which during the war had been laid on one side. It is a notable achievement that, in the four years since the end of the war, the Institution has completed and sent to the coast no fewer than twenty-one Motor Life-boats. (Applause.) The Institution has designed, and will shortly complete, a new and much larger type of Motor Life-boat than any previously used, which will have engines developing 180 h.p. with a radius of action of over 100 miles.

It has designed and it has built the first of a new type of Life-boat engine which will continue working even when it is submerged.

It has adapted motor tractors to replace horses in launching Life-boats on flat, sandy beaches, and it has succeeded in getting designed a satisfactory line-throwing gun.

Now, ladies and gentlemen, all this has been done in four years—four years of great depression. These are great and most important developments. The service has never before been equipped as it is to-day for its great work of saving life. These latest boats which the Institution is building are to the Life-boats which it had 100 years ago what H.M.S. Hood is to H.M.S. Victory in the Royal Navy. That will give you some indication of the advance that has been made by the Institution in providing material and equipment for the Life-boat Service.

The Life-boat Institution has to collect by voluntary subscriptions every penny of what it requires, and this year it will need over £300,000. It is a big sum to collect, but it must seem very small to any one who remembers that it provides and maintains a vigilant service round the whole of our immense coasts. Last year the Institution's ordinary revenue was increased by over £7,000, and, as the Report says: " Having regard to all the unfavourable circumstances of the ] year . . . this is most encouraging proof, not only of the determination of the British people to give their Life-boat Service the support which it asks from them, but of the ability, persuasiveness and enthusiasm with which, in spite of all difficulties, the appeal on behalf of the Institution has been presented by Life-boat workers throughout the country." The fact remains, however, that still more money is required. The expenditure this year will be larger than ever before, and it will need a very special effort to make the income equal to the expenditure. In this connection I am asked to announce that the annual Life-boat Day in London will be held on 8th May, and this year being the hundredth year of the Institution's existence, its President, the Prince of Wales, has personally identified himself with this and with all similar appeals throughout the country by allowing it to be called " Prince of Wales' Day." (Applause.) That fact should be a great incentive to all public-spirited men and women to work for, and to contribute to, the Life-boat Service.

It is a great pleasure to me to know that the annual appeal to the ships of His Majesty's Navy, which the Institution issues through the help of the Admiralty, brings in year by year a regular and a generous response. It is right that that response should be generous,because there are none better able'than the officers and men of the Navy to appreciate the immense national value of an efficient Life-boat Service, the great qualities of the crews and the splendid fighting spirit which the Navy and the Life-boat Service, manned as they are by men of the same breed, have in common. (Applause.) It is a great pleasure to me to have an opportunity of paying a tribute, on behalf of the Royal Navy, to the magnificent achievements of this great service—a service which has lasted 100 years — of appealing to all patriotic men and women to give this great national service their proud and generous support, and wishing it God-speed when, at the end of this year, it enters on its second century. I have now great pleasure in presenting this Report, and I shall be glad to receive any observations which any one may care to make upon it.

I will now call upon the Secretary to read the names of the persons proposed to fill the offices of President, Vice-Presidents, Treasurer, and other members of the Committee of Management, and Auditors for the ensuing year.

(The Secretary read the list of nominations.) President.

H.R.H. the Prince of Wales, K.G.

Vice-Presidents.

His Grace the Archbishop of Canterbury, G.C.V.O.His Grace the Duke of Leeds.

His Grace the Duke of Portland, K.G., P.C-, G.C.V.O.

His Grace the Duke of Northumberland, C.B.E., M.V.O.

The Most Hon. the Marquis of Ailsa.

The Most Hon. the Marquis of Aberdeen and Temair, K.T., P.O., G.C.M.G., G.C.V.O.

The Right Hon. the Earl of Derby, K.G., P.C., G.C.V.O., C.B.

The Earl of Albemarle, K.C.V.O., C.B., A.D.C.

The Right Hon. the Earl of Rosebery, K.G., K.T., P.C.

The Right Hon. the Earl Waldegrave, P.C.

The Earl of Lonsdale.

Admiral of the Fleet the Viscount Jellicoe of Scapa, G.C.B., O.M., G.C.V.O.

The Right Hon. the Lord Strathclyde, P.C., G.B.E. 

Commodore Sir Richard Henry Williams- Bulkeley, Bt., K.C.B., R.N.R.

Sir Godfrey Baring, Bt.

Harry Hargood, Esq., O.B.E.

Noel E, Peck, Esq.

Treasurer.

The Earl of Harrowby.

Committee of Management.

The President.

The Vice-Presidents.

The Treasurer.

The Right Hon. the Earl Waldegrave, P.C., Chairman.

Sir Godfrey Baring, Bt., Deputy-Chairman. .

Frederick Cavendish Bentinck, Esq.

Admiral Sir Frederick E. E. Brock, K.C.M.G., C.B.

Major Sir Maurice Cameron, K.C.M.G.

Captain Charles J. P. Cave.

Colonel Lord William Cecil, C.V.O.

Kenneth M. Clark, Esq.

Harold D. Clayton, Esq.

The Hon. George Colville.

Sir William Corry, Bt.

J. J. Crosfield, Esq.

Sir John G. Gumming, K.C.I.E., C.S.I.

Captain the Viscount Curzon, R.N.V.R., M.P.

Henry R. Fargus, Esq.

John Bevill Fortescue, Esq.

Thomas B. Gabriel, Esq.

R. H. Gillespie, Esq.

Major Ralph Glyn, M.C.

Engineer Vice Admiral Sir George G. Goodwin, K.C.B.

Rear-Admiral Sir Lionel Halsey, K.C.M.G., K.C.V.O., C:B.

The Earl of Hardwicke, Commander G. C. Holloway, O.B.E., R.D. R.N.R.

Admiral Sir Thos. H. M. Jerram, G.C.M.G., K.C.B.

Vice-Admiral Sir Colin Keppel, K.C.I.E., K.C.V.O., C.B., D.S.O,

Sir Woodburn Kirby.

Brigadier-General Noel M. Lake, C.B.

John F. Lamb, Esq.

Herbert F. Lancashire, Esq.

Colonel Sir A. Henry McMahon, G.C.M.G., G.C.V.O., K.C.I.E., C.S.I.

Commander Sir Harry Mainwaring, Bt., R.N.V.R.

General Sir Charles Monro, Bt., G.C.M.G., G.C.B., G.C.S.I., A.D.C. General.

Captain George B. Preston.

Engineer Rear-Admiral Charles Rudd.

The Right Hon. Walter Runciman.

Major-General the Right Hon. John E. Bernard Seely, C.B., C.M.G., D.S.O.

Commander F. F. Tower, O.B.E., late R.N.V.R.

The Lord Tredegar, O.B.E.

The Lord Mayor of London.

The Admiral Commanding Coast Guard and Reserves (Vice-Admiral Sir Morgan Singer, K.C.V.O., C.B.).

The Deputy Master of the Trinity House (Captain Sir Herbert Acton Blake, K.C.M.G., K.C.V.O.).

The Hydrographer of the Admiralty (Rear- Admiral Frederick C. Learmouth, C.B., C.B.E.).

The Chairman of Lloyd's.

Auditors.

Messrs. Price, Waterhouse & Co.

The CHAIRMAN : The names have been read out, and it is my pleasure and duty to record them as duly elected. I will now call upon the Secretary to read the account of the services 'or which the Medals are to be awarded to those who have gained them.

The SECRETARY : The outstanding service of 1922, and one of the finest in the annals of the Institution, was carried out on the 21st October by the Lowestoft Motor Life- boat and the Gorleston Pulling and Sailing Life-boat, when, after a struggle lasting two nights and a day in a fierce north-easterly gale, with a very heavy sea, the whole crew of twenty-four of the s.s. Hopelyn, of Newcastle, were safely brought ashore.

The Hopelyn was wrecked on Thursday, 19th October on the Scroby Sands, and her signals of distress were seen by the Coast Guard at 9.45 that night. For two hours efforts were made to launch the Caister Boat, but without success. The Gorleston Boat was then launched and towed out by a tug, but owing to the darkness and the huge seas on the sand- banks, she could do nothing. She stood by all night, and when day came, as there was no sign of life on board, she returned to shore, the belief being that all the crew of the Hopelyn bad been drowned. Almost immediately, however, she put out again, in response to fresh signals of distress. All that day the Life-boat remained by the wreck without being able to get near it, and in the afternoon, the Lowestoft Motor Life-boat was called out.

Night had again come before she reached the wreck, and she was unable to render assistance; but at daybreak she put out again, to find only the bridge, funnel and upper works of the Hopelyn above water. The fore and after decks were completely submerged, and the hull was split, with jagged pieces of plate projecting, so that there was barely the length of the Life-beat in which to come alongside. In spite of this, and of the terrific seas which nearly flung her on the submerged deck, she managed to get alongside, and in thirty seconds the whole crew of the Hopelyn were aboard her. A moment after, a tremendous sea completely buried her, but she got clear of the wreck without loss of life or damage. It was the opinion of the District Inspector, who had gone out in the Boat, that had it not been for the powerful motor the Life-boat could never have accomplished her task, and twenty-four lives would have been lost.

The whole service was characterised by all those qualities of courage, endurance and splendid seamanship which have made the Life-boat man proverbial, and there is nothing to choose between the Coxswain and crew of the Gorleston Boat who failed to achieve their task, and the Coxswain and crew of the Lowestoft Boat who, having at their disposal one of the Institution's most modern Motor Life-boats, succeeded, in the face of great difficulty, in effecting a rescue. Many of the men were afloat over twenty hours in bitter wintry weather, and exposed to all the additional dangers of an attempted rescue on sandbanks in the pitch darkness of the winter's night. The Committee of Management have recognised the exceptional character of both services by the following awards :— They have granted the highest award in their power, namely, the Gold Medal of the Institution, to Coxswain John T. Swan, of the Lowestoft Motor Life-boat, and to Coxswain William G. Fleming, of the Gorleston Boat.

Silver Medals have been awarded to Ralph A Scott, Motor Mechanic of the Lowestoft Boat, and to Commander E. S. Carver, R.D., R.N.R., Eastern District Inspector of Life- boats.

A Second Service Clasp to his Bronze Medal has been awarded to Second Coxswain George W. Ayers of the Lowestoft Boat.

Bronze Medals have been awarded to Second Coxswain Samuel B. Parker, of the Gorleston Boat, to the twelve men, drawn from both crews, who took part in the final rescue, and to the nine men of the Gorleston crew who went out twice in that Boat.

Coxswain Swan already holds the Silver Medal of the Institution with the Second Service Clasp, both the decorations having been awarded for gallant services during the war. The first was in November, 1914, to HM. mine-sweeper Condor, from which the crew of nine were rescued in very hazardous circumstances. The second was to H.M. sloop Pomona, which was wrecked in September, 1918, as already described by you, Sir, in your address.

(The Chairman then presented the Medals to Coxswain Swan, Coxswain Fleming, Motor Mechanic Scott, Commander Carver, Second Coxswain Ayers and Second Coxswain Parker.) The CHAIRMAN : I now call upon Sir Ernest Glover.

Sir ERNEST GLOVER, Bt. : Mr. Chairman, my Lords, ladies and gentlemen, I have much pleasure in moving the first resolution, namely : " That this Meeting, fully recognising the important services of THE ROYAL NATIONAL LIFE-BOAT INSTITUTION in its national work of Life-Saving, desires to record its hearty appreciation of the _ gallantry of the Coxswains and Crews of the Institution's Life-boats, and grate- fully to acknowledge the valuable help rendered to the cause by the Local Committees, Honorary Secretaries, Honorary Treasurers, and the Ladies' Life-Boat Guilds."

Before addressing myself to this resolution, I should like, Sir, with your permission, to make one or two remarks about shipowners generally, and the position of shipowners vis-a-vis THE ROYAL NATIONAL LIFE-BOAT INSTITUTION. It may possibly be within the recollection of any who were here last year that a distinguished Minister of the Crown took the opportunity on that occasion to read the shipowners a very severe lecture on the smallness of their contributions to the Life- boat fund. Shipowners are accustomed to having hard things said of them. We always find that if a Bill is introduced into Parliament to put extra burdens on shipowners, which are not borne by other industries, we are told that it is no use our opposing it, and that we have to take what is sent to us because nobody loves us. We are also constantly hearing that the explanation of the very high prices to which some things have risen is the high freights which the wicked shipowner charges. I thought possibly I might be permitted to make one or two remarks on a statement of that sort.

Of course you are all aware that at least three-quarters of the food that we eat in this country comes from abroad, and therefore has to be carried by the shipowner. As to the cost of carriage putting the prices up, I have looked into one or two figures, and I find that the average cost of bringing wheat or flour for a 4-lb. load to this country is about Jrf. The average cost of bringing 1 Ib. of sugar to this country is one-half of a farthing.

A ton of grain from South America costs as much to bring it from there as it would from Liverpool to London; so that I do not think we really can be accused of putting up the prices particularly.

One might also refer to the services that ships rendered during the war. I do not think it would be an exaggeration to say that none of our armies could have maintained them- selves in the field for a week without the assistance of the Mercantile Marine. One might go a step further and say that even the Navy itself would have been demobilised in a very short time if it had not had the Mercantile Marine to act as a feeder. (Hear, hear.) With regard to the relationship between shipowners and the Life-Boat Institution, it may perhaps sound paradoxical, but I have no hesitation in saying that the less we as shipowners have to do with the Life-boats the better we like it. I mean by this that we never want the services of a Life-boat unless we are going to lose the ship, and it is our duty, of course, to make our ships thoroughly seaworthy before they go to sea to equip them thoroughly with life-saving appliances such as life-belts, life-boats, etc., so that we should not want the assistance of the Life-boats. As a matter of actual experience and I have been connected with ship owning for about forty years, and have been connected with thirty ships to the best of my recollection we have never wanted to use a Life-boat.

That is something to be thankful for. That fact, I think, may possibly explain to some extent why the shipowners have not as a body dealt with the National Life-Boat Institution as some people thought they ought to have done. The result of discussions, however, which we have had I hope may be of some help.

There was some misconception, I think, about the position of the Chamber of Shipping, which is the body representing shipowners generally. The Chamber of Shipping, of course, has no funds out of which it can contribute to any society of this sort. But after a conference with Mr. Shee, we have, as a Chamber, brought strong pressure to bear on shipowners to recognise the claims of the Institution. (Hear, hear.) There is no doubt, as Lord Beatty has said, that the Institution has a great national claim.

Its claim is not only on shipowners but on people who live inland as much as on people who live on the coast, though, of course, people who live on the coast see more of the work of the Life-boats. I hope it will not be thought that anything I have said about our not wanting Life-boats, or not wanting to have to use Life-boats, detracts in any way from the credit which is due to the Life-boat crews. Nothing, I think, that we can say would put that too high. We all know that when a Life-boat crew is wanted, the chances are it is very bad weather, and I think that nothing can be said too strongly to the credit of the crews which face danger at all times of the day and night.

On this subject Mr. Shee has read the account of the Hopelyn, and Lord Beatty has, I think, expressed in language far better than I could attempt to use, the splendid work, the gallantry and the courage that is manifested by the crews, to whom our thanks and appreciation should go forth.

The other part of the resolution refers to the work done by the Local Committees and the Honorary Secretaries and Treasurers spread throughout the country. Without their assistance, even the gallantry, the bravery, and the work of the crews would be of no avail. We have heard of the enormous sum that is wanted. We, of course, know that we are going to save a little in income tax this year, so that possibly the Life-boat Fund may benefit from the savings we are going to make in other directions. (Hear, hear.) I have much pleasure, therefore, Sir, in moving the resolution which I have read.

The CHAIRMAN : I call upon the Rev. F. W. Townshend.

The Rev. F. W. TOWNSHEND : Mr. Chairman, my Lords, ladies and gentlemen, I take a great interest, and I hope I shall take a further interest in this great Society, for the reason that it goes out to all men in peril on the sea. For the past twenty-six years I have been a voluntary worker in connection with a similar society working amongst North Sea fishermen. I know something about the life of these men on the North Sea, going out year by year as I do aboard the hospital ship to labour amongst them, and I know perfectly well what their life is composed of, and how very hard it is. We ashore do not seem to realise the hardships through which those men have to go. We walk along the streets, and it is all plain sailing. But I tell you, friends, when I first put out to sea before I got my sea-legs, I used to go to Billingsgate Market to get aboard the cutter there, to find the North Sea eventually, and I had a very rough time.

I well remember the steward aboard that ship saying when we got below Southend : "There is a bit of a breeze coming up tonight, and if I were you I would turn in." But aboard these boats there is no accommodation, you have to make the best of it. You lie down upon a locker, and put your bag under your neck for a pillow. The steward would say: " I have to turn out at three in the morning, so I will turn in now. I will put this bucket under the table in case yon want it." It was the bucket which was used to prepare the fish for the men's meals, and it smelt very fishy, and it made you feel queer.

These men have a very hard time of it on the North Sea, and I want you to remember that the majority of the Life-boat crews are composed of these very fishermen. These are the men who keep in the background as a rule. They do not go about boasting, they do not go about grumbling, they do their work, but when anything has to be done of any importance they are to the fore. That is what I find with these men. (Applause.) In seconding this resolution I am not basing any claim upon the work that these men did on the mine-sweepers and submarine-catchers during the war, but I am basing my claim upon the fact that these men have a claim upon every one of us who travels both by sea and by land. I was aboard a trawler the other evening in the North Sea, and I was chatting away to the man at the wheel. What about this man ? There he was. I had to draw out of him that during the war he was in charge of a mine-sweeper. The vessel was lost with all hands, but he was picked up at sea on a wooden grating with his face downwards. He was brought aboard the hospital ship, and from his body were extracted no less than eighty- eight pieces of glass. The wheel-house had been blown away. But here is the man out at sea to-day working on as though nothing had happened. That is the stamp of man we have to deal with.

So, friends, we want to recognise the important work that this Institution is doing saving since its commencement ninety-nine years ago no less than 59,000 lives. That is something worth recording.

As regards the gallantry of these men— well, it speaks for itself. We appreciate all that they have done and are doing. They are perfectly willing to go on as voluntary workers in order to save life at sea.

In this resolution we acknowledge the value of the work done by the Local Committees, the Honorary Secretaries, the Honorary Treasurers and the Ladies' Life-boat Guilds, and all other voluntary helpers. It is a fact that if we had not these voluntary helpers we could not make the headway that we do Therefore, I want you this afternoon to give a helping hand so that greater work can be done in the future.

I will tell you one way in which you can get money, I have a box at home, and I have made a rule that if anybody does not put thing back in its proper place they have t put something in the box. That keeps every thing in very good order, I can tell you You try it, and send the money up to the Secretary.

I have great pleasure in seconding this resolution. I must be brief today as the time is running ahead. I only wish I had longer in order that I might tell you a little more about these men. As a worker amongst them in the North Sea for twenty-six years, I say they indeed deserve our utmost support am sympathy, and that we should remember them at all times in their hazardous am dangerous work. I pray God that this great Institution may go ahead and keep up the work that it is doing in this unselfish manner (Applause.) The CHAIRMAN : I call upon Miss Margaret Bondfield to support the resolution.

' Miss MARGARET BONDFIELD, J.P.: Mr Chairman, my Lords, ladies and gentlemen, was very glad to accept the invitation to come here this afternoon, in order that I might pay tribute in the name of all Labour to the men ' of the sea, and of all the men of the sea, more particularly to those who are the savers of life It seems to me that they are the sort of heroes of that loftier race about which John Addington Symonds wrote so beautifully :- " They shall be simple, gentle, brave and strong, To spill no drop of blood, but dare All that may plant man's lordship firm O'er earth and fire and sea and air." When we try to measure up some of the achievements of life, we realise, I think, when we are face to face with this kind of heroism— where we are face to face with this kind of social service—how very tawdry, how very unreal and unworthy, some of the achievements are that receive popular approbation and popular applause. It seems to me that in face of the men that we have seen here this afternoon, the kind of man who becomes a millionaire by some shady transaction on the Stock Exchange becomes a perfectly contemptible worm. I think we want to get more contact with simple, strong, direct types of heroism in civilian life. Those who go down into the mines, those who go to rescue their comrades from fire-damp, those who go out in the Life-boat, never think much about themselves. They are frightfully concerned about their fellows. They have got that glimpse of the things of the spirit that joy of the spirit which comes from service, which self-centred, self-indulgent people know nothing whatever about, and are very unlikely ever to experience. They belong to the elect in life; they belong to those who are leading us on constantly, always renewing our faith in the power of the spirit over mind and matter.

I think that all Labour is glad to be able to pay this tribute here this afternoon.

Some of you have done a great deal to provide appliances; but think for a moment what a woman does in the fisherman's home, in the home of the Life-boat man. The woman who sends her man out to sea does not know whether he is ever coming back again. She hopes he is coming back, but she is the watcher on the shore. Then it may be that many of these men who go to sea never come back.

You are privileged through this Institution, and in other ways, to save that watcher on the shore from some of the horrors of poverty, from some of the horrid smart of having to go to the workhouse. It is your privilege to be able to help the children of these men children whose title to help is that they had such parents the man who went out to sea and the woman who was willing that he should go in order to save life.

I was very glad to see from the speech of Sir Ernest Glover that his conscience is still troubling him. Although the shipowners may have increased their contributions by a few thousands I should have thought hundreds of thousands would have been nearer the mark to come from the shipping fraternity, who stay on land very often while the Mercantile Marine goes to sea. I feel very strongly that it ought not be necessary for appeals to be made, for money to be begged for, to keep up this Institution, to improve the equipment, and to make provision for the widow and the orphan; but that those whose lives are set in a much easier round of social or personal duties should feel that it is their great opportunity and their privilege to do everything they can to give this Institution its chance, not merely to get the latest possible equipment, but to give education and culture to the children, and to give security and peace to the widow. I support the resolution.

(Applause.) The CHAIRMAN : I now have pleasure in calling upon Mr. Joseph Conrad to support the resolution.

Mr. JOSEPH CONRAD : Mr. Chairman, my Lords, ladies and gentlemen, I feel it a privilege to be called upon to speak in support of the resolution in honour of Life-boat men of today, worthy inheritors of a hundred years' tradition of devoted service, and recording once more our gratitude to seamen's friends ashore who or more than three generations gave their time, their work, and their money to the welfare of this national organisation, so universally known and trusted, that a seaman of any nationality, directly he has sighted our shores, feels himself the object of its sleepless The first words about our Life-boat Service I ever heard in my life (and that was before many of you in this hall were born)—I mean living words, not words in print were on the lips of a Breton seaman in the West Indies. He had been, it seems, wrecked on our east coast at the time, and what he said was : " On those (he meant our men) you can always depend.

They don't give up." A great testimony. I know now, of my own knowledge, that a Life-boat crew may fail sometimes (there is no shame in being defeated by the sea), but that it does not give up. (Applause.) I am especially gratified that in this particular life-saving service 'which is honoured today it is the Lowestoft men who have not failed, for it was on board a Lowestoft coaster, away back in the 'seventies, that I began my life under the merchant flag, the North Sea being my school, and Lowestoft and Pakefield men seven in all being my masters for some three months; a full school term, one may say.

I can never forget the friendliness of the Lowestoft people to a strange youngster.

They may have been amused at me, but they taught me the elements of a seaman's duty, below and aloft, and the very terms of our sea speech which has been mine now for many years. It is on this ground of old association that I crave your permission personally to congratulate these men, not so much on the public recognition they have received to-day from the hands of a great sea officer in the presence of this most distinguished company, as on the success of their efforts in saving the crew of that steamship, who looked to them for their lives with that absolute confidence which is the due and, after all, the greatest reward of men who never give up. (Applause.) The CHAIRMAN : I now put to the meeting the resolution, which has been proposed, seconded and supported.

(The Resolution was carried unanimcusly.) The CHAIRMAN : I now call upon Mr. Harry Hargood.

Mr. HARRY HARGOOD, O.B.E.: Mr. Chairman, my Lords, ladies and gentlemen, in consequence of the introduction of Motor  boats, it has been necessary to close some of the stations which have lately possessed the ordinary Sailing and Pulling Boats. Consequently the boathouses have become now of no use, and the Committee have therefore disposed of them. It is necessary that their action should be approved by a resolution passed by this meeting. I therefore beg to move: " That this Meeting, being satisfied that the disused Life-boat houses at Withernsea, Whitburn, Berwick-on-Tweed and Castle town are not required for the purposes of the Institution, and that it is for the benefit of the Institution that the same be sold, hereby approves and confirms such sales." In moving that resolution I would like to take this opportunity of thanking the Committee and the members who are present to-day for the great honour that they have conferred upon me in electing me a Vice- President of this noble Institution. (Applause.) The CHAIRMAN : I will call upon Major Sir Maurice Cameron.

Major Sir MAURICE CAMERON : I beg to second the resolution that has just been read to you.

The CHAIRMAN : The resolution will be put to the Meeting. Will those present signify their view by putting up their hands.

(This Resolution was carried unanimously.) The Right Hon. the EARL WALDEGRAVE, P.C. : Lord Beatty, my Lords, ladies and gentlemen, before proceeding to move this resolution, I should like to add a word on behalf of myself and my colleagues on the Committee to what has been said by Lord Beatty as to the great regret we feel at the loss by death of the Earl of Plymouth. He rendered great assistance to the Institution in various capacities, in -which he was ably assisted by Lady Plymouth.

It is my pleasure and privilege to move a hearty vote of thanks to Lord Beatty for presiding here to-day. I can assure him that not only I and my colleagues on the Committee, but every member of the Institution, and every one in the country interested in this cause, most heartily thank him for sparing so much of his valuable time to come here to-day and publicly to show the sympathy which we all know the officers and men of the Royal Navy have with the work of this Institution. I am sure it must have added very much to the satisfaction of these gallant Life-boat men who have been honoured here to-day, to have received their medals from the hands of such a gallant admiral. (Applause.) Most of the subjects mentioned in last year's Report, which lies before us, have been alluded to by previous speakers, so I need not go into any details about them. But there are two I should just like to emphasise. One is the London life-boat Day, on 8th May, which, as you have heard, His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales has graciously allowed to be called the Prince of Wales's Day, which ought to help it very much. We must call upon all our lady members of the Institution, and I hope many hundreds of other ladies in London, to do their best on that day in holding depots and in selling flags in the street, and to show their appreciation of His Royal Highness's kindness by helping in every way.

The other point is, as you have heard, that next year will be our centenary. We shall have to try to make it a record. We shall have to call upon all our friends, men and women, all over the country, to do more than usual, and to try to do their very best in every way they can. We have a special Centenary Committee already sitting continuously, and that will in due course of time issue notices of what is required.

It is not exactly germane to the resolution that I am moving, but I want to take this opportunity of publicly thanking Mr. Shee and his staff, Captain Rowley and the Inspectors of that department, for then untiring work on behalf of the Institution, which grows more arduous day by day, and to say how thoroughly I have appreciated all they have done during the time I have been Chairman of the Committee. (Applause.) I am very glad to see here again to-day another very old friend of the Institution in Captain Holmes. (Applause.) Again thanking Lord Beatty most heartily for his kindness in coming here to-day, I have to move: " That the hearty thanks of this Meeting be given to Admiral of the Fleet the Earl Beatty, G.C.B., O.M., First Sea Lord, for presiding over this, the Ninety-ninth Annual General Meeting of THE ROYAL NATIONAL LITE-BOAT INSTITUTION." I will ask Sir Godfrey Baring to second it.

Sir GODFREY BARING, Bt. : Lord Beatty, my Lords, ladies and gentlemen, I hope I may have the honour of seconding the resolution which Lord Waldegrave has moved, We are deeply grateful that Lord Beatty, who is the busiest of men, has been able to find an hour to preside at this Meeting. We are grateful to him for the inspiring and instructive speech which he has addressed to us, and we are also most deeply grateful to him for saying words of approbation of the Life-boat Service, representing, as he does, the noble profession of the Navy, Under Lord Beatty's auspices we have had a most successful meeting.

We all, who are Governors of the Institution, listened to Sir Ernest Glover's speech with special approbation. He told us that gentle pressure was going to be placed on those who have not responded to our appeals in the past in the shipping world. I do not know what that pressure will be. Perhaps we had better not inquire into the shipping world. I am not brave enough to allude to Sir Ernest's speech in the terms in which Miss Bondfield did, but perhaps I may use these words: " There is more joy in the Institution over one non-subscriber who subscribes than in the receipt of many ordinary subscriptions year by year." (Applause.) I am quite certain that many of the ladies here would like to thank Lord Beatty for his speech and for his presence by showing special energy and special ardour on the 8th May, when we are going to have our Life-boat Day all over London. There are some persons misguided enough not to appreciate Life-boat Days. I regard them as some of the most delightful days in the year. I take care on those occasions to do as little work as I can, and to go round supervising the work of others. You will remember that when the work of the nation was being arranged by Mr. Neville Chamberlain during the war, and every one was asked to say what they were best at in the way of national work, some thousands of replies were received saying that the writers considered they were best at supervising the work of others. That is what men, I think, are inclined to do during Life- boat Days—to supervise the very hard work that the ladies are doing.

But may I remind you that the Life-boat Cause is really a national cause. It is not like a society for providing Africans with flannel waistcoats, or Eskimos with refrigerators. I want to see our Life-boat Day established in our national events as Queen Alexandra's Day is established. I think the Life-boat Day deserves just as well as even the noble appeal which, is made by Queen Alexandra, for the hospitals. (Applause.) We therefore hope that the ladies will redouble their efforts for this great Institution, and in that way thank Lord Beatty in the best possible way for what he has done for our cause this afternoon. (Applause.) The Right Hon. the EARL WALDEGRAVE : Ladies and gentlemen, you have heard the resolution moved and seconded. I call upon those in favour of it to indicate the same.

(The Resolution was carried unanimously.) The CHAIRMAN : My Lord Waldegrave, I thank you very much for the kindly words you have used in proposing this resolution in reference to my services here to-day, and you, Sir Godfrey, also for your kind references to myself in this connection. I may say that I would indeed take it as a great compliment if the ladies, if they have appreciation of my having been here to-day, would show it, as Sir Godfrey suggests, in redoubling: their work on the 8th May. I thank you, 'ladies and gentlemen, for receiving the resolution in such a charming manner, and for the thanks which you have conveyed to me. (Applause.) (The proceedings then terminated.).