A COMPARISON BETWEEN LIFE-BOAT SERVICES AND CONTRIBUTIONS.

By GEORGE F. SHEE, M.A., Secretary of the Institution.

I AM publishing here a list of the ships to the assistance of which the Life-boats have been launched from 1st January to the end of April, 1923, together with a note of the financial support received from the owners of the respective vessels.

The list includes nine cases where the Crew assembled but the Life-boat was not actually, launched, but does not include several cases where the ship was salved and salvage claims have been made by the Crews. I cannot help thinking that this record will be followed with interest, not only by our readers, but also by the owners. We can well understand what a satisfaction it must be to the owners of a vessel which has either been assisted into safety, or of which the crew has been saved from death, to feel that they have been regular supporters of the Institution. Yet, strange to say, scores of rescues are effected and hundreds of lives saved in respect of which the Institution does not receive any recognition even in the shape of a letter of thanks. There are, I am glad to say, many honourable exceptions, but I regret to say that they are exceptions.

In this connection it is important to note that hundreds of lives are actually saved for which the Institution claims and of course, receives no credit what ever. The Life-boats are often launched to the assistance of vessels stranded on a sand-bank, or otherwise in jeopardy, where the Life-boat is asked to stand by, and where the advice given by the Coxswain makes all the difference between perfect safety and disaster. Yet, when the vessel is got out of danger, no cognisance is taken of the fact that the safety of her crew is due to the Life-boat, and rarely indeed do the owners send so much as a word of thanks.

Yet in some cases the safety of the crew means, not only so many valuable lives rescued from imminent peril, but a large sum saved for the owners in compensation to widows and orphans.

In the case of a recent very fine service, I am informed that the rescue of the crew meant that the owners were saved a sum of £7,000 which would have had to be paid.

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It will thus be seen that this year, up to the end of April, there were over a hundred launches, and that in the case of only fourteen vessels to whose help the Life-boats of the Institution were summoned, were the owners, so far as can be traced, contributors to the Institution.