THE Hundred and First Annual General Meeting of the Governors of THE ROYAL NATIONAL LIFE-BOAT INSTITUTION was held at Caxton Hall, Westminster, on Friday, 20th March, at 2.45 P.M., the Right Hon. Sir Philip Cunliffe-Lister, K.B.E., M.C., M.P. (President of the Board of Trade), in the Chair.

The speakers were Sir Godfrey Baring, Bt. (Chairman of the Committee of Management), the Hon. George Colville (Deputy Chairman), Captain A. F. Car- penter, V.C., R.N., and Mr. C. G.

Ammon, M.P. (late Parliamentary Secre- tary to the Admiralty).

Among those present were: The Earl Waldegrave, P.O. (late Chairman of the Committee of Management); the French, Portuguese, Greek, Chilian, Finnish, Lithuanian, Czecho-Slovakian, and Latvian Consuls-General, the Con- sul for the Netherlands, the Mayor and Mayoress of Westminster, the Mayor and Mayoress of Lambeth, the Mayor and Mayoress of Baling, and the Mayor j { of Wandsworth ; the following members ! j of the Committee of Management: I; Major-General the Right Hon. J. E. B.

Seely, C.B., C.M.G., D.S.O., Major'Sir Maurice Cameron, K.C.M.G., Rear- Admiral T. P. H. Beamish, C.B., M.P., Engineer Rear-Admiral Charles Rudd, Brigadier-General Noel M. Lake, C.B., Captain G. C. Holloway, O.B.E., R.D., R.N.R., Commander F. F. Tower, O.B.E., Mr. John F. Lamb ; the follow- ing members of the London Women's Committee: The Viscountess Bertie of Thame, the Lady Florence Pery, Mrs.

Auberon Kennard, Mrs. W. B. Maxwell, and Mrs. Meredith Hardy; Miss Alice Marshall (Hon. Secretary of the Oxford and District Branch), Captain Colin Nicholson, R.D., R.N.R. (representing the Mercantile Marine Service Associa- tion), the Secretary of the Navy League, the Secretary of King George's Fund for Sailors, Mr. George F. Shee, M.A. (Secre- tary of the Institution), and Captain Howard F. J. Rowley, C.B.E., R.N.

(Chief Inspector of Life-boats).

The CHAIRMAN : Ladies and Gentlemen, I am genuinely grateful to the Committee of Management for inviting me to preside over your Annual General Meeting to-day. There has always been, and I hope there always will be, a very close association between the Board of Trade and THE Royal NATIONAL LIFE-BOAT INSTITUTION. We have been associated in my Department with your Service for many years, and year by year, I think I can say with confidence, our respect for the efficiency of the Institution grows, and so does our admiration for the Life-boatmen who man its Service.

We are in daily contact because, while you provide the service of saving life at sea, the coast watchers are in a very real sense the eyes of your fleet. There must always be the closest and the keenest co-operation between the two if the best service is to be rendered, and I know from our side I can say how close that association is, and at all points how ready is your co-operation and the co-operation of those of your Service.

The Report which is presented to us to-day, and of which you have copies, deals with a re- markable year in the history of this Institution.

It contains, as is right, a review of all that has taken place in your year of Centenary, a year which was marked by a truly wonderful manifestation of tribute and of celebrations.

First and foremost, His Majesty the King conveyed a signal mark of his appreciation of the services of the Institution and the Life- boatmen by receiving and decorating the Gold Medallists, and I am sure I am speaking for every man in the Life-boat Service when I say that His Majesty could have chosen no means of showing his appreciation which would have been more keenly appreciated by every single member of that Service. (Applause.) !Che Prince of Wales took an active part in the Centenary Celebrations, and there were present at those celebrations distinguished representatives of the Royal Navy and states- men of all parties. But these celebrations, these tributes, were by no means confined tothe metropolis. It was a truly national Cen- tenary, and throughout the whole country, both at our ports and at the great inland centres, there were celebrations both of a religious and of a secular character. That was the spontaneous tribute of a great maritime and commercial people to an Institution which they honoured, and which they knew had served them well. (Applause.) The year of Centenary was marked also not only by national meetings, but by an inter- national meeting of a very interesting kind.

It had been, I know, the practice of this Institution always to place at the disposal of foreign countries the result of any research, of any improvements, which we had made in our Life-boats. They have keenly appreciated this pooling of common information and experi- ence, and from all the countries that attended, and from others that were unable to attend, there came an equally enthusiastic testimony of their affection and their respect for, and their gratitude to, what truly is their parent body ; for I think in most respects they have copied your Institution. There arose out of that meeting what I may say I think was an extremely happy suggestion, and that was that this pooling of experience should not be a haphazard thing, but that continuity should be assured by the formation of an inter- national association—exactly, as I see it, the right kind of international association, be- cause it is an international association formed to do something in which experience has shown that nations can readily and conveni- ently co-operate. I hope that will become a reality. That pooling of experience is a piece of Communism which even the hardiest individualist would be ready to support.

(Laughter and cheers.) The Centenary period, in which you were able to review the work of the past hundred years, shows a record of work accomplished which is the greatest recommendation that could be made for support in the future, and it is for that support that I venture to day to appeal not to this audience, who are all keen members, but to a wider public. That brings me to the financial position. Now on the face of it the financial position looks fairly sound. On | the face of it the expenditure of last year was I in the neighbourhood of £246,000, and the revenue was £294,000 ; but, like some other Budgets, that does not disclose the real position. (Laughter.) There are what we call the non-recurring items of income included in that. The Cen- tenary itself was, not unnaturally, marked by special donations, and when you take away the special gifts and special legacies which came in that year, amounting to £123,000, you get a very different result, which is this, that in order to accomplish a work costing £246.000 you have an ordinary revenue of £171,000.

Now that is not good enough, and it is not as much as this Institution deserves. (Hear, hear.) I know of no object which can make a I stronger appeal to British men and women,wherever they Jive in this land. It is a great voluntary institution, managing, encouraging, and organizing a great voluntary service, always ready at all times and under all con- ditions, and never found wanting, the inheritor through the years of great traditions of heroism, of service, of discipline, and of duty ; traditions to which, as you will see if you turn to the Report, which gives the record of the achieve- ments of the past year, those achievements have added new lustre, as has happened year after year. It is an Institution which should, .and can, appeal with confidence to the inland parts of this country as well as to our ports. B is not merely the interest of those who live by the sea, and that has been recog- nized ; it has been recognized by some inland cities which have collected the money for special Life-boats to bear their name. One would hope that more of that can be done, for it is the Service of the inland cities as much as of the ports. Every one in this country de- pends to a greater or a less degree upon sea- borne commerce. I well remember hearing it said on many occasions during the war that the people of this country owed a debt to the Mercantile Marine which they could never repay. They have got here a chance of paying a little on account, for there are few better ways of paying a debt to the Mercantile Marine than by supporting the National Life-boat Institution and its Service, which does so much for the Mercantile Marine. (Applause.) That levy is a form o{ ship-money which no Englishman or Englishwoman need be ashamed or refuse to pay, and when men in their thousands at the Life-boat Stations of the country are ready by day and by night, at any time of the year, and in any weather, to risk their lives, and when you have got that debt to repay, it is not too much to ask the British public to risk some small sum out of their cash. I do, therefore, make as sincere an appeal as I can to-day for one of the most deserving institutions in this country, which can point to a record of service over one hundred years second to none of any institution in this world. (Loud applause.) Ladies and Gentlemen, the Report for the year is before you. I do not formally move it, because under our constitution the Report is regularly presented to the Annual Meeting as a record of past work, but if any lady or gentleman has any observations which they would like to make upon the Report, I would invite them to make them now.

A SPEAKER : It would be rather interesting to the supporters of the Life-boat Institution if we could ascertain how much the Mercantile Marine proper subscribe to the funds of the Institution. I mean, how much is subscribed by those who are more intimately connected with the wonderful life-saving results that they get from this Life-boat Service.

The CHAIRMAN : I am answering the ques- tion without notice, but I think an investiga- tion of the subscription list which finds its place in the Annual Report would disclose that, in part. There are in it a very large number of anonymous donations which are not susceptible to analysis.

The SPEAKER : My difficulty is that this is a question one is very often asked : What do the Mercantile Marine do for an institution which is maintained for their safety and insurance, so to speak t Sir GODFREY BARING : In reply to that question, I quite sympathize with the views which have been expressed, and we will do our utmost to secure that information and have it ready for the next meeting.

(The Secretary then read the list of those nomi- nated aa President, Vive-Presidents, Treasurer, and other members of the Committee of Manage- ment, and as Auditors for the ensuing year.) President. ,r H.R.H. the Prince of Wales, K.G.

Vvx-Pretidenis, His Grace the Archbishop of Canterbury, G.C.V.O.

His Grace the Duke of Leeds, His Grace the Duke of Atholl, K.T., P.O., G.C.V.O., C.B., D.S.O.

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

The Most Hon. the Marquis of Graham, C.B., C.V.O., V.D.

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.O.

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

The Earl of Lonsdale.

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

The Visconnt Burnham, C.H., T.D.

The Right Hon. the Lord Strathclyde, P.O., 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.

Sir Godfrey Baring, Bt.

The Hon. George Colville.

Rear-Admiral T. P. H. Beamish, C.B., M.P.

Frederick Cavendish Bentinck, Esq.

The Lord Brownlow.

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.

J. J. Crosfield, Esq.

Sir John G. Gumming, K.C.I.E., C.S.L Captain the Viscount Curzon, B.N.V.B., M.P.

Captain S. M. Day, C.B., D.S.O., A.D.C., B.N.B.

Henry R. Fargus, Esq.

John Bevill Fortesoue, Esq.

Thomas B. Gabriel, Esq.

B. H. Gillespie, Esq.. A. Glanvill, Esq.

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

Vice-Admiral Sir Lionel Halsey, K.C.M.0., G.C.V.O., K.C.I.E., C.B.

The Earl of Hardwicke.

The Hon. Esmond C. Harmsworth, M.P.

Captain G. C. Holloway, O.B.E., B.D., B.N.R.

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

Sir Woodburn Kirby.

Brigadier-General Noel M. Lake, C.B.John F. Lamb, Esq.

1 Herbert F. Lancashire, Esq.

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

The Bight Hon. Ian Macpherson, K.C., M.P.

Commander Sir Harry Main waring, Bt., B.N.V.B.

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

Captain George B. Preston.The Right Hon. F. O. Roberts, M.P.

Engineer Rear-Admiral Charles Budd.

The Bight Hon. Walter Runciman, M.P.

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 B.N.V.B.

The Lord Tredegar, O.B.E.

1 The Lord Mayor of London.

The Admiral Commanding Reserves (Vice- Admiral Sir H. H. D. Tothill, K.C.B., K.C.M.G., K.C.V.O.). The Deputy Master of the Trinity House (Captain Sir Herbert Acton Blake, K.C.M.G., K.C.V.O.).

The Hydrographer of the Navy (Captain H. P.

Douglas, C.M.G., R.N.).

The Chairman of Lloyd's.

Auditors.

Messrs. Price, Waterhouse & Co.

The CHAIRMAN : In accordance with the constitution, I declare those gentlemen duly elected. I now call on the Secretary to read the account of the services performed in 1924 for which Medals have been awarded.

The SECRETARY: The three outstanding services of 1924 were performed by the Life- boats at Cloughey, co. Down, in Northern Ireland; at Newhaven, in Sussex; and at Runs-wick, in Yorkshire. The first of these services took place on llth January, and Acting-Coxswain Andrew Young, of the Cloughey life-boat, was decorated with the Bronze Medal at the Centenary Meeting on 4th March of last year.

The other two services took place on 27th November.

pf [Newhaven.

On that day a whole southerly gale was blowing, with a heavy sea, on the south coast, and the cross-Channel steamer Dieppe went ashore as she was entering Newhaven between four and five in the morning. The Motor Life- boat and two tugs went at once to her help.

Both tugs got into difficulties, and one of them, the Bichmere, was driven ashore. Her crew were in imminent peril, and the tug was lying in such a position that it was very dangerous to approach her. But the Life-boat went at once to the rescue. She was splendidly handled by Coxswain Richard Payne, but, while she was alongside, the tug rolled on top of her, smashing her gunwale and injuring her hull. In spite of this, the four men on the Richmere, which sank immediately afterwards, were taken off and brought ashore.

Then, although she was so badly damaged that she had afterwards to be sent to Cowes for repairs, the Life-boat put out again, and stood by the Dieppe until she refloated, some three hours after she had gone ashore.

It was a service which showed in a con- spicuous way the quality of the Life-boat, her crew's trust in her, and their courage and resource.

The Committee of Management have awarded to Coxswain Richard Payne the Institution's Bronze Medal, and to each member of the crew the Institution's Thanks inscribed on Vellum.

Runawick.

On the same day a strong gale from the south-east was blowing, with a heavy sea, at Staithes, on the Yorkshire coast. There, a week before, a Belgian steamer, the Princess Clementine, had gone ashore, and the Runswick Life-boat had rescued nineteen of her crew.

Her captain, however, had remained on the vessel. Later on a salvage party was put on board, but had been taken off. On the night of the 26th the captain was on board alone.

The wind got up during the night. Before morning it was blowing a gale, and the seas were sweeping right over the wreck. Just after seven in the morning the captain was seen to be signalling for help.

The Life-boat was launched with great difficulty, some of the launchers going into the sea up to their necks. When she reached the Princess Clementine she was several tunes nearly swept on to the deck of the wreck, but Coxswain Andrew Tose manoeuvred her with great skill. A rope was thrown to the captain, and he succeeded in jumping into the Life-boat.

On her way back she was completely buried by a tremendous wave, but she rose clear of it, undamaged, and safely reached the shore.

In this service also great courage and re- source were shown, especially by Coxswain Andrew Tose and Second Coxswain Thomas Patton, to each of whom the Committee have awarded the Institution's Bronze Medal.

(The Chairman then presented the Medals to Coxswain Payne, of Netshaven, and Coxswain Tose and Second Coxswain Patton, of Bunswick, timid applause.) Captain CARPENTER : Ladies and Gentle- men, before I read to you the resolution, I have a very sad duty to perform in giving you this information, that THE ROYAL NATIONAL LIFE-BOAT INSTITUTION has just received the news of the death of John Howells, Coxswain of the Fishguard Life-boat from 1910 to 1921.

He received the Gold Medal of the Institution for a most gallant service in 1920, when the Fishguard Motor Life-boat rescued seven of the crew of the schooner Hermina, of Rotter- dam, which had been wrecked on the Needle Rock. The Hermina had been broken in half against the rocks, and the Life-boat herself was in imminent peril of being dashed to pieces against them. Last July, with the other Gold Medallists of the Institution, Coxswain HoweUs was received at Buckingham Palace and per- sonally decorated with the Medal of the Order of the British Empire by the King, who recog- nized him as an old shipmate with whom he had served thirty-six years before on the Temeraire.

Before saying anything further, I will read to you the resolution : " That this Meeting, fully recognizing 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 gratefully to acknowledge the valuable help rendered to the cause by the Local Committees, Honorary Secretaries, Honorary Treasurers, and the Ladies' Life-boat Guild." I may say it is a great privilege to be asked to come and speak here to-day, and quite an undeserved one, but I come as a seaman brother, if I may put it in that way, of the Life-boatmen. It is well known that at sea there is a certain brotherly love amongst sea- men, naval men or merchant service men, of all countries, and the reason, of course, is that we brave the same elements and we face the same dangers. During war at sea naval op- ponents do their utmost to sink each other's ships, and undoubtedly we derive a. certain amount of satisfaction when we succeed in sinking the enemy's ship; but I can assure you there is a certain amount of the gilt taken off that satisfaction if, having sunk the enemy's ship, we are unable to save the men who are thrown into the water. In the Mercantile Marine, merchant ships vie with one another in the pursuit of trade, and I can equally assure yon that they forget their opposition entirely when they come upon another merchantman in distress. So, too, with the fishing craft returning from their fishing grounds, racing home all out to get first go at the market; if they come across another fishing craft in trouble, they forget their race at once ; they stop their ship and go back to help their brothers in distress. (Cheers.) This spirit of rescue work, I think, one might call the spirit of sportsmanship at sea as carried out by the gentlemen of the sea, and I am sure we need not hesitate to believe that this sportsmanship is likely to last for all time amongst mariners. But ships in distress are more often in that predicament in the vicinity of rocks and shoals, which other ships, in the ordinary course of events, do their utmost to avoid, and therefore it is highly likely that a ship in distress will have no other ship near her to render her any assistance. In addition to that, if there should be another ship handy, the chances are that she will not be able to do very much to relieve a ship that is on the rocks, first of all because her own draught will prevent her from getting close, and secondly because the so-called life-boats that we have in the ships compare, of course, very un- favourably with the life-boats that the Insti- tution has to-day. In feet, the ordinary ship's life-boat is probably on a par with the Life- boats that the Institution had fifty or more years ago. And so, if no help is going to come from » sister ship when a vessel is in distress, whom is it going to come from ? The Life- boatmen. (Cheers.) Their work of rescue and our work are not exactly on a par with one another. Our life at sea is mostly carried out in comparative calm, with occasional storm, and occasional discom- forts. The calling of tie Life-boatmen is carried out almost, you might say, as to 100 per cent, of their time, in storm and in danger, at imminent peril of their Jives. Just think of the record that this Institution is able to put forward: over 60,000 lives saved in only 5,000 miles of coast line 1 It is more than twelve lives saved per mile, or, if you like it in another way, a life saved every 147 yards of the coast.

We all admire people whose calling brings then into connexion with rescue work, and I am sure there is another section of the com- munity that we all admire very much, and that is the Fire Brigade. Now there is a very great difference between the Fire Brigade and the Life-boat Service, because the fire engine's crew, when they are called upon to go to a fire, consist of several men, two or three of whom, perhaps, are in real danger of their lives, and the remainder are manning the hoses, trans- porting ladders, attending to the fires of the engine, and so on; but in a Life-boat the entire crew are facing the danger all the time. They are all heroes, and they are heroes all the time. So, much as we may admire other people, such as the Fire Brigade—I only mention them as one instance—surely so much more should we admire the Life-boatmen who do this wonderful work. (Cheers.) * Aa. our Chairman said, when we admire a service like this, we are anxious to do our utmost to help it, or at least we say we are.

We say we are because it is a sort of British instinct, I think, for us to be ready to go hi for any self-sacrifice on behalf of others, but only provided it is not too easy. And that is the rub. It is so easy for the British public to help THE ROYAL NATIONAL LIFE-BOAT tssTi- TimoN that they probably do not think of it.

If it were really difficult, we could no doubt get thousands and thousands who would be pre- pared to come out and do something ; but to give up the price of a couple of pints of ale, or a round of golf, or a cinema show, or a mere hundred pounds for a rich man's dinner party, is nothing, and it is so small a thing that, unfortunately, it is not done, or at least it is not done sufficiently.

This is the age of the love of drama. Look how the people flock to the cinemas to see those wonderful dramas born of fiction. The popular end of all drama is a happy ending; but how many people are there who realize that by not assisting the Life-boat Institution they may be forcing some of their fellow-men to witness the greatest of all dramas, the struggle against a tremendous sea to try to rescue the lives of people in peril, and that perhaps, owing to lack of Life-boats, or what- 3ver it may be, these poor people may lose their lives—some poor devil be washed up on the shore a lifeless body when he might have seen a living man—how many, as I say, realize ihat by not helping they may bring an un- lappy ending to one of the greatest dramas, jrobably, that we can come across in our life- time ? Surely all of us who love a thrilling story, who love to go to the oiapnig. or to the theatre, or to read a thrilling book and to come to the happy ending, should do our utmost to see that there is a happy ending to this great drama which I have mentioned. (Applause.) I should be proud if I could say that I once was a member of the crew of one of our Life- boats, but I am sorry to say that it is not so.

I once had a little experience of that kind, however, with an effect that the Life-boatmen, I am glad to say, do not have to face. Provi- dence put me in the position some years ago of saving the lives of some Chinamen in a typhoon, and I was informed afterwards that, having saved their lives, I was responsible for all their misdeeds until they did actually die.

(Laughter.) These eight Chinamen went so far as to publish a letter of thanks in every issue of the local paper for a month, which evidently showed that they surmised that their misdeeds Vere going to be exceedingly plentiful. (Renewed laughter.) Ladies and Gentlemen, I have much pleasure in proposing this resolution that I have read to you. (Loud applause.) Mr. C. G. AMMON : It is one of the most priceless possessions of our British public life that—however strongly men may differ in regard to political and economic questions—on great matters, and in connexion with great societies which have beneficent purposes, they can always be found ready to sink those differences and to take their place on a common platform. (Cheers.) This afternoon, Sir, I am more than pleased, not for the first time, to be speaking under the auspices of a Chairman who belongs to a political party other than my own; and as I look across this room I see other honourable Members whom normally I could not count in the same Division Lobby as myself, but who, I am sure, would willingly tell with me in support of THE ROYAI, NATIONAL LIFE-BOAT INSTITUTION. It is this that makes me feel—when I hear people talking wildly, as they sometimes do, about what is going to happen—that there is something which always lines us up to see matters right through to a finish, and that to the best advantage of the community. (Cheers.) It was my privilege for a short time to come very closely in contact with those who go down to the sea in ships, so far as our Royal STavy was concerned, an experience that I shall always treasure as one of the happiest in my life. Also I have had some connexion in my own family with the sea, which always keeps it dear to me, as it must be to every Briton who feels it in his blood, and therefore it gives me additional pleasure to support a work which we, as British people, can claim to have been longer and more interested in than any j other nation in the world, moved, I think, j not only by our love of adventure and-our ] long coast line, but also by that prompting I which comes to the average Englishman to I plunge in to the help of all those who may be | in distress and difficulties. (Cheers.) I The Life-boat Institution and all connected I with it appeal to the very highest sentiments | of our nation. I suppose there is not one of us here who, when we were very much younger, and read stories of Life-boatmen, did not make up our mind that we also, when we grew up, i would take part in the work. It is that feeling 1 which keeps alive in us the appeal of the ' highest standards of daring and adventure.

You, Sir, have given expression to a feeling of Communism, and I am afraid we shall find our one Communist Member addressing you as Comrade Cuuliffe-Lister. (Laughter.) It does, however, show that there are things which get past all the artificial barriers of caste, creed, race, wealth, and political differences, and bring us all on a common level of humanity. The Crews and all those j connected with the Institution, to use a common phrase, are composed of all sorts and conditions of men. As you have already said, there you have the real expression, in the highest sense of the term, of, shall I say, the Christian Communist spirit. All men, no matter what their calling may be, can pull together in this particular way. I was par- ticularly struck, in connexion with a story of the rescue on the Irish coast, with the fact that the Coxswain of that Boat was a priest; and one could think of no more appropriate Coxswain, perhaps, than a clergyman, and no more appropriate duty for a clergyman than taking his place in the Life-boat.

The other great thing that the Life-boat Institution expresses is the true spirit of internationalism. As we look through your Reports, and as we see the reports in the daily Press, the one thing that must impress itself upon us is that, when the call comes, no one asks to what nationality, to what creed, to what party do they belong, but sees them simply as fellow human beings in distress. I believe that feeling will ultimately follow in other walks of life, and we shall, by pulling together as our Life-boat crews do, bring our national Life-boat, in a larger sense, right through its present stormy seas. (Applause.) We have a Fleet of which we may be proud, a Fleet for which, for the time being, as Parlia- mentary Secretary to the Admiralty, I was partly responsible. The fleet of THE ROYAL NATIONAL LIFE-BOAT INSTITUTION is engaged on the beneficent work of saving and rescuing lives. It calls to us who are placed in more comfortable circumstances to do our part, and, as Captain Carpenter has said, sometimes, because it is so easy, we fail to do that which we ought to do. I can say this, that, if I were a rich man, there is nothing I would like to do more than to support such an institution as THE ROYAL NATIONAL LIFE-BOAT INSTITUTION.

But I have to tell you, as I told my constituents in one of my contests : " If you elect me, I cannot give to your charities, and so on ; all I can do is to offer you my services, and you must pay up yourselves." I put it to you in precisely the same manner. In so far as you have been blessed by advantages and material comforts and possessions, the very least you can do is to see that the men who do this dangerous work lack for nothing that money can provide and that you can help them to obtain.

I believe the great spirit that is behind a$ this is that it is voluntary. Much that I do is to press that the State should take over certain things. But this is not one of the things that I want it to take over. This is a thing that I think ought to lie on the hearts and con- science of the population, and every man and every woman, aye, and every child, should think that they should do all they possibly can to sustain this effort. (Cheers.) My final word is that in supporting this Institution, we are supporting men who give evidence of a bravery that is unsurpassed. Itis one thing, as many gallant men in this room know, to perform feats of daring on the im- pulse of great emotions and in the stress of dramatic circumstances ; it IB entirely another thing to face, with cool, calculating courage, violent storms and the possibility of death or disaster in going out. That these men never fail to respond to the call is a great tribute to them as Englishmen, and we, as Englishmen, share in their honour; but that same thing does lay upon us that we share their re- sponsibility and carry out our part.

I have very much pleasure in. seconding the resolution. (Loud applause.) (The resolution was put to the Meeting and carried unanimously.) Sir GODFREY BAKING : It is my privilege and pleasure to move the following resolution, which I am sure you will accept with, acclama- tion and enthusiasm:— " That the hearty thanks of this Meeting be givea to the Right Hon. Sir Philip Cunliffe-Lister, K.B.E., M.C., M.P., Presi- dent of the Board of Trade, for presiding over this, the Hundred and First Annual General Meeting of THE ROYAL NATIONAL LIFE-BOAT INSTITUTION." We are, Sir, greatly indebted to you for your kindness in presiding this afternoon, and for the inspiring words which you have addressed to us. We are especially pleased to see you in the Ohair, because you happen to be, and I hope for some time to come will remain, President of the Board of Trade. The relations of the Board of Trade and the Life-boat Institution have been, perhaps, rather various in character. They used to be coldly official; they are becoming warmer every day. We used to consider the Board of Trade perhaps rather in the light of our mother-in-law, but now a new policy prevails in Whitehall, and we hope to scratch out the words " in-law," and to look upon her as our mother. (Laugh- ter.) I am sure, under your direction, the Board of Trade will be increasingly favourable to the cause of the Life-boat Institution.

I am sure this large audience would also wish that our thanks to-day should be ex- tended to the two other eminent speakers who have addressed us, Captain Carpenter and Mr. Ammon. We have listened to Captain Carpenter's speech with great admiration. We fee) that praise of the bravery of our brave Life-boatmen from Captain Carpenter is praise indeed, and we are grateful to him. (Cheers.) My old colleague on the London County Council, Mr. Ammon, has made a most splendid speech, and has carried the Meeting with him.

(Cheers.) He alluded to the extraordinary unanimity with which all creeds and classes support the Institution, and he spoke of » gallant clergyman in Ireland who acted as Coxswain. We have done even better than that in Ireland. We actually sent out a Life- boat containing a Protestant bishop, a Roman Catholic bishop, and an eminent Nonconform- ist divine, and when I say that that Life-boa came back without being capsized, you will agree with me that that was a very consider- able feat, showing the unanimity of support of the Life-boat Institution. (Laughter and applause.) Ladies and Gentlemen, I want, if I may, to say one word, and that is to our lady workers all over the country. We have already thanked them formally in the resolution which has been moved and seconded and carried, but I should like to add that a great deal of the success of the Life-boat Institution depends on the interest and enthusiasm with which ladies support the cause all over the country. We are deeply grateful to them for what they are doing, and we would ask increasing numbers of them to join the Ladies' Guild, and to do their utmost to make this Guild successful.

I want also—and I make no apology for doing it, because I think the Institution would come to an end if the Annual Meeting lasted less than an hour—to give some indication of the support which we receive from various towns.

(Sir Godfrey Baring then read the principal names in the list of places, with collections per head of population, which is given on page 73.) We welcome contributions from every direc- tion as long as they are legitimately secured.

May I just read an extract from a letter from one of our Branch Assistant Secretaries, which is as follows : " My father took a box that was here to the Conservative Club, and says that it is nearly filled already, as they fine the members every time they swear." (Laughter.) I have some delicacy in quoting that, but I thought it showed the activity and ingenuity of our representatives all over the country.

The Institution is nothing if not alert, and we provided a large box near the platform while you, Sir, were speaking. I do not know if I should express our pleasure or our regret that our expectations have not been realized and that, while its brother bo% in the Conservative Club was so quickly filled, this one, which has been waiting on your vrords, will, owing to the purity of your diction, be taken empty away.

(Renewed laughter.) I only want to say one thing more. The work of the Institution is work of increasing anxiety and difficulty. We are faced year by year by a larger expenditure, in spite of every effort the Committee can make to effect every economy. We are not anxious about our support in the future, because we feel we will always be able to appeal, as we have appealed in the past, to the generosity and self-sacrifice of the general public. We believe that we have the support and the sympathy of the public in carrying on the work to the best of our ability, and the Committee of Management would like to assure this Meeting that nothing coold inspire us or encourage us more than tie speeches which have been addressed this after- noon to this large audience by gentlemen who are interested in our cause. (Applause.) The Hon. GEORGE COLVILLE : I have very much pleasure in seconding the resolution which has been proposed by Sir Godfrey Baring, and I will do my best to keep the Meeting going antil a quarter to four. But to do BO I am afraid I shall have to bore you with a few figures with regard to our income and expenditure.

Our income last year from subscriptions and j donations amounted to £124,000, our income from investments was £42,000, and there were sundry other receipts amounting to £5,000, making a total ordinary income, as the Chair- man told you just now, of £171,000. We were very fortunate indeed last year in receiving legacies and special gifts amounting to £123,000, which, after transferring £53,000 to trust funds, enabled the Committee of Manage- ment to show a balance on the year's working of £11,555 over the expenditure, which last year totalled £246,000. But the Institution cannot always rely on receiving £123,000 from legacies and extraordinary donations. Last year was a phenomenal year, probably due to the Centenary—in fact, we know it was due to the Centenary—and it was also phenomenal, and this was not due to the Centenary, in the unusual number of legacies which fructified during the twelve months.

The Committee of Management have never cared to rely on what are called " stunts "— appeals like the Golden Ballot, which promise you a Rolls-Royce if you draw a lucky number, or a house, or a buttonhole every morning for a year. We do not believe in that glittering sort of attraction, and we conceive it our duty to endeavour to put the Institution on a really stable basis by getting regular subscriptions to our funds. We welcome anything, provided it is regular—5s., 2s. 6d., or Is.—and I assure you we have lots of these small subscriptions.

Moreover, charity concerts and charity bazaars are very difficult things to organize, and in these days there are so many of them that it is very uphill work to make a bazaar a really profitable thing. It is true that we had an extraordinary instance the other day in Man- chester and Salford of what a bazaar can do, where a three days' bazaar realized £10,000 ; but I think that is an exception, and very often a considerable amount of money has to be spent in making such efforts a success.

Advertisement is an expensive item. You all know that the last knot on a first-class cruiser probably costs as much as all the other knots put together. It is the same in funds. It may cost 15s. to secure the last sovereign. For these reasons, it is our aim to get annual sub- scribers. If you ladies and gentlemen will lay yourselves out to get them, I am sure the position of the Institution will be assured.

(Hear, hear.) I have much pleasure in seconding the vote, and, if I am in order, I should like to add to the resolution of thanks the names of Captain Carpenter and Mr. Ammon. (Applause.) (The Resolution was put to the Meeting and carried unanimously.) The CHAIRMAN : I am sure I speak on behalf of both my colleagues when I say that we are indeed more than glad to have been here, and I should like to suggest to Sir Godfrey, in view of what he has said, that he should give to my friends General Seely and Mr. Ammon a regular supply of boxes to be distributed among their respective parties. I am by no means sure that in that contest we should maintain our majority. (Laughter.) Ladies and Gentlemen, I am really grateful to you for asking me to come here ; it has been a real and very genuine pleasure. (Applause.) (The, proceedings then terminated.) After the meeting, Coxswain Payne, Coxswain Tose and Second Coxswain Patton were entertained to tea at the House of Commons by Rear-Admiral Beamish, and in the evening they were present at the performance at the Coliseum, as the guests of Sir Oswald Stoll and the management.