Dublin.

Centenary Meeting.

THE Centenary Meeting was held on 24th March. The Right Hon. Andrew Jameson, P.C., D.L., the Chairman of the Branch, presided, and, in the course of his speech moving the adoption of the report for the previous year, he said : " This is the Institution's Centenary should do his On year, and everybody should do utmost to get all possible support.

the other side of the Channel a greater effort will surely be made, and it is in- cumbent on-us in Ireland to show that we'-1" appreciate the work which the Institution has done in the last hundred years.

"The Institution spends annually about £250,000, raised entirely by voluntary subscriptions. On the Irish Coast, during the last twenty-five years, £187,331 have been spent, an average of £7,500 a year. We have a chance this year to increase the Institution's income in Ireland, and, so far as the Committee are concerned, everything possible will be done to that end." Sir Maurice Dochrell seconded the report, and the Rev. J. Penhaus Osborne, D.D., in supporting it, said that if there was anything which should appeal to the Christian people of Ireland it was the heroic story of the Life-boat Service.

The resolution, expressing gratitude for the work of the Life-boat Service, and pledging support for the future, was then passed, and it was decided that a special Centenary Appeal should be made in Dublin.

In a leading article next day the Irish Times said : "At present twenty-five Life-boats are stationed around the coasts of this island, and two others are under construction. It is a national need of first importance that their effi- ciency shall not be impaired through lack of funds. The Dublin Branch has recorded its hearty appreciation of the gallantry of the Coxswains and"" Crews, and has paid a tribute of respect and admiration to those who have sacrificed their lives in attempting to serve others.

It pledges itself to advocate the Insti- tute's claims unceasingly, and the coun- try must not fail to give it the help and encouragement which its -work deserves." Thanksgiving Services.

Following on the decision at the Cen- tenary Meeting to make a special Cen- tenary Appeal, deputations from the Committee called on the heads of the different Churches, asking for theirsupport in organizing Thanksgiving Services. As a result of this, Thanks- giving Services were held, and appeals were made, in between thirty and forty churches of the different denominations in the dioceses of Dublin, Glendalough, and Kildare.

Century Life-boat Day.

Century Life-boat Day was held in Dublin on 25th and 26th June. For the greater part of the week a Life-boat was stationed on College Green, and on each of the two days the Kingstown Motor Life-boat, decorated with flags and manned by Sea Scouts and members of the Boys' Brigade, with their buglers, came up the Liffey.

Other Appeals.

The Chairman of the Branch made an appeal in the Press to the merchants and traders of the city, and an appeal by letter was made to professional and business men and to the chief works, factories, hotels and restaurants. The Ladies' Life-boat Guild carried out a successful house-to-house collection in several of the suburban districts.

Belfast.

Centenary Meeting.

AT the Centenary Meeting in Belfast on 3rd April, held in the Banqueting Cham- ber of the City Hall, the people and the Government of Northern Ireland were fully represented. The Lord Mayor of Belfast (Sir William G. Turner, J.P.), who is President of the Belfast Lough Branch, was in the chair. The Institu- tion was represented by Captain the Viscount Curzon, R.N.V.R., M.P., a member of the Committee of Manage- ment, and among those who supported the Lord Mayor were : The Governor of Northern Ireland (the Duke of Aber- corn, K.P.), the High Sheriff of Belfast (Councillor M'Laurin, J.P.), the Modera- tor of the General Assembly (Eight. Rev.

Dr. George Thompson), the Most Hon.

the Marquess of Londonderry, K.G., H.M.L. (Minister of Education), the Most Hon. the Marquess of Duflerin and Ava, D.S.O. (Vice-Admiral of Ulster), the Lord Bishop of Down (Right Rev.

Dr. Grierson), the President of the Metho- dist Conference (Rev. J. W. Parkhill), the Speaker, House of Commons, Nor- thern Ireland (Right Hon. R. W. Hugh O'Neill, D.L., M.P., LL.D.), the Minister of Finance (Right Hon. H. M. Pollock, M.P., D.L.), the Minister of Home Affairs (Right Hon. Sir Dawson Bates, M.P.), the Minister of Labour (Right Hon. J. M.

Andrews, M.P., D.L.), the Minister of Agriculture (Right Hon. B. M. Arch- dale, D.L.), the Chairman of the Har- bour Commissioners (Mr. W. B. Wil- liames, D.L.), the Mayor of Deny (Alder- man Maxwell Scott Moore), Sir William Coates, Bt., D.L. (President Chamber of Commerce), the City Chamberlain (Sir Frederick Moneypenny, C.V.O., C.B.E.), the Vice-Chancellor of Queen's Univer- sity (Mr. R. W. Livingstone, M.A.), the High. Sheriff of County Down (Mr. Wil- liam S. Kingan), and Mr. Charles Payne, C.B.E., D.L. (Messrs. Harland & Wolff).

There were also present many mem- bers of the North of Ireland Parliament, representatives of the professions and ! commerce, of the Red Cross, and of the British and Foreign Sailors' Society.

A message of congratulation was sent by the meeting to the Prince of Wales, (as President of the Institution, and a | reply was received.

I After reviewing the development of j the Life-boat Service during a hundred ; years, the Lord Mayor said : " Belfast is a maritime town, with a great shipping industry, and as the chief port in Ireland I it holds front rank among the ports of (the United Kingdom. It is incumbent I upon us to come out strong on the occa- sion of the Institution's Centenary. I j propose to open a subscription list to- ) day, and I shall be grateful for contri- jbutions from any of those present. I hope that the resolutions to be adopted will be the means of attracting the sup- port and assistance which the Institution so worthily merits." The Governor said that he wished to associate himself with everything that the Lord Mayor had said, and expressed the hope that Belfast would do its best in support of so admirable an Insti- tution.

The Governor then presented to Andrew Young, Acting Coxswain of the Cloughey Life-boat, the Thanks of the Institution inscribed on Vellum for his services last January to the Helgoland, of Plymouth. Andrew Young had also been awarded the Bronze Medal, and this had been presented to him by the Prince of Wales at the Centenary Meeting in London, on 4th March.

Lord Curzon then delivered an ad- dress on the work of the Institution, and, on behalf of the Committee of Manage- ment, offered the Institution's thanks to the Lord Mayor and Sir Frederick Money- penny, and the Belfast Lough Branch and its Ladies' Life-boat Guild, for all that they had done for the Life-boat Service. In his address he spoke in particular of the value of the voluntary principle, which was the basis of the whole work of the Service.

The resolution, expressing gratitude .for the work of the Life-boats and pledging support for the future, was moved by Lord Londonderry, seconded by the Right Hon. E. M. Archdale, D.L., M.P., and carried with enthusiasm.

In the evening the Lord Mayor gave a concert in the Ulster Hall. Next day both the Northern Whig and the Belfast News-Letter published leading articles on the Life-boat service. The Northern Whig said: " It is to be hoped that the day is far distant when that familiar statement— so laconic, yet having such potent appeal to the sympathies of British-born men and women—' supported entirely by voluntary contributions,' will disappear from the reports and other documents issued by the Institution. If it were eliminated one would feel that the chief glory of the world's premier Life-boat Service had departed."The Belfast News-Letter said : " The peculiar glory of the Service is that it is voluntary, and therein lies not only the secret of the splendid efficiency of the rescue work, but the high interest and the long-continued support which the people as a whole have given the organization. Take away the volun- tarism of the Service, and it at once drops to a lower plane; it no longer inspires, it becomes a mere machine ; and, while there may remain the courage and endurance required for rescue, the spirit that urges and sustains in the direst straits is not there." Centenary Lifeboat Day and Carnival.

Century Life-boat Day was held on 3rd and 4th May. On the first day the Lady Mayoress had a stall for the sale of Life-boat souvenirs outside the City Hall, and in the evening there was a Fancy Dress Parade through the streets, organized by the Turf Guardian Asso- ciation, and watched by thousands of people. On the second day there were 400 collectors in the streets ; a proces- sion in which one of the Institution's reserve Life-boats took part, and a Car- nival at Alexandra Park. As a result of these celebrations, Belfast has raised a record sum this year.

Other Celebrations in Ireland.

Larne (co. Antrim) held a Centenary Meeting and a Century Life-boat Day.

Kingstown (co. Dublin) held a Thanks- giving Service and a Century Life-boat Day.

Portrush (co. Antrim) held a Cen- tenary Meeting.

Century Life-boat Days were held at Skerries (co. Dublin), Ballycotton and Youghal, in co. Cork, Donaghadee and Newcastle, in co. Down, and Bray and Greystones (co. Wicklow).

NOTE.—While every effort has been made to include in the account of the Centenary Celebrations all that the Branches have done, there may well be omissions among the so many hundreds of functions which were held. The Secretary will be very glad to be in- formed of any functions to which no reference is made, and they will be mentioned in the next issue. A number have also been arranged to take place during the winter. These also will be dealt with in the next issue..