CONFERENCES ! We live in an age of Conferences. Never have there been so many. They range over the whole field of human activity, social, political, economic and scientific. At one moment we see the representative statesmen of the world assembled in conference at Eapallo or Geneva or Locarno to hammer out the golden bridge of peace between nations. Anon, and at periodical intervals, British statesmen and those of the Dominions, meet in the metropolis of the Empire to discuss the problems of imperial politics, home and foreign trade, defence, social legislation, emigration ; the whole im- mense sphere which modern develop- ments, especially the marvellous progress of transport and means of communica- tion, suggest and facilitate.

Nor is the instrument of conference confined to international or imperial purposes. Let there be symptoms of unrest and difficulty in any great trade or industry, and sane minds on both sides at once turn to conference as the best hope of removing misunder- ' standing and solving difficulties. There is scarcely a science which has not utilized the same method, whether under that name or as an association or institute, in order to focus its problems, survey its position and encourage its votaries to enlarge still further the bounds of its particular province of human knowledge. In the light of the benefits resulting from the adoption of conferences one is appalled to think how many wars, how many strikes might have been avoided had people been able, had they been allowed time, to come together in the person of their chosen representatives to discuss their difficulties and to " arrive at an understanding." It has been well said that if you can only get men who are on the point of quarrelling to meet one another round a table, you can nearly always get them some way on the road to under- standing and, therefore, allowing for each other's point of view.

And if conferences are valuable and remedial where the parties are opposed, how much more valuable aie they bound to be where those who participate are actuated by a common purpose, especially if that purpose be altruistic and directed to the service of mankind.

In such a case each one who attends brings to the conference the result of his experience, a clear presentment of his difficulties, his aims and his hopes.

They are sifted, compared and ex- amined in the light of the experience of others, and every one is enabled to dip his bucket in the common pool and carry away encouragement in his work, stimulation to further effort and the inspiration which springs from renewed contact with the central ideal which originally attracted each and all. The mere fact of coming together, and bringing the problems—and achieve- ments—into a common iamd, creates warmth and energy. Each separate battery of energy, working in isolation and under high pressure, will have become exhausted. Each battery is now brought into contact with the power house, the dynamo by which it is charged afresh and taken back to its local purposes with renewed power and range of action.

Realising the truth of these experi- ences in every field of endeavour, which was confirmed by the great success of the first International Life-Boat Confer- ence, held in July, 1924, the Committee of Management decided to pursue thepractice, initiated in the autumn of 1923, of holding District Conferences of Honarary Secretaries, in order to stimu- late discussion and co-operation among those who are doing such splendid work in raising the funds which are so neces- sary to the Institution's work. Thus a Conference was held in the South- Eastern District on the 30th April (see The Lifeboat, September, 1926), and all the District Organizing Secretaries were urged to hold similar Conferences in their Districts at a suitable time.

In response to this instruction, District Conferences were organized by Mr.

Edgar H. Johnson at Scarborough (9th-llth October), and Manchester (12th October}; and Captain the Hon.

R. S. Mansfield organized a similar Conference for Honorary Secretaries in Greater London on the 14th October.

The Scarborough Conference.

As I had the advantage of attending the Conferences at Scarborough and Manchester, with Sir Godfrey Baring, Bt., the Chairman of the Committee of Management, a few notes on my impressions may be of interest.

With a view to saving Honorary Secretaries very long railway journeys, Mr. Johnson had divided his large area into an eastern and a western section, the former including the counties of Yorkshire, Northumberland and Durham, and the latter the counties of Cumberland, Westmoreland, Lan- cashire and Cheshire. All the Hon.

Secretaries and Ladies' Guilds in the district were notified of the forth- coming Conferences during the month of August, and in September they were given complete details of the arrange- ments which had been made, these arrangements including special week- end terms for the stay at Scarborough.

In response to Mr. Johnson's sugges- tion, the Mayor and Mayoress of Scarborough held a Reception in the Town Hall on Saturday, the 9th October, to meet the Chairman of the Institution, and a very pleasant and informal function took place, at which the delegates had the opportunity of meeting one another and discussing Life-boat affairs, and especially Station j questions, with the Mayor and Mayoress I of Scarborough and the honorary officials of the Scarborough Branch.

On Sunday afternoon, a sacred service was held on the beach, in the Life-boat, 1 which lay on her carriage. Those in the Life-boat included the Chairman of the Institution, the Rev P. R. Watts, Vicar of St. Thomas's, assisted by ' Mr. J. Brock (Missions to Seamen), the Mayor and Mayoress of Scar- borough, the Chairman of the Branch (Captain Gibson), the Hon. Secretary | (Mr. Morgan), several of the Local ! Committee, and the Secretary of the j Institution.

! Fortunately, the weather was fine, I though the effects of the tremendous gale which had raged throughout Saturday were still seen in the huge breakers beyond the Harbour which i thundered in on the Marine Parade, making the latter impassable, and : smashing many of the iron lamp-posts like so many pencils.

The scene was very impressive. The Life-boat, high on her carnage, a thing of beauty in her graceful lines, marked by the well-known blue and white, with the bright vermillion of the wale. A thing of life and strength too, symboliz- ing the very spirit of the Service to which she is dedicated. This fine boat, surrounded by a great crowd, very reverently acknowledging the signifi- cance of the scene and of the sacred service in which they participated, formed the centre of a wide sweep of beach, curving out towards the noble headlands which framed the bay to the north and south, the former crowned j by the great mass of Scarborough Castle. One could not help feeling that the whole great semi-circle, centred in the Boat, Crew and crowd, faced as if in defiance, based on the courage and tenacity of the Service, the thunderous sea that raged, but some hundred and fifty yards away, and sent its massed cavalry charging to the attack in suc- cessive squadrons of gleaming green, grey and silver, angry but impotent.

Immediately after the service, the Life-boat was launched, many of the helpers going into the sea up to their waists, and a number of the delegates were taken out in the Boat lor short trips, the Coxswain, however, keeping well within the sheltered water. Had this not been clearly conveyed to all concerned, it is probable that the passengers would have been few indeed ! Everyone was immensely impressed with the ease with which the Boat was launched, and her speed and buoyancy.

In the evening the delegates were invited to attend a Concert given in the Spa by the Honourable Artillery Company Band, and Sir Godfrey Baring gave a stirring address on the Life- boat Service, which was received with great enthusiasm.

On Monday morning the Conference was held in the Council Chamber, by kind permission of the Mayor. Sir Godfrey Baring presided, and repre- sentatives attended from Alnmouth and Boulmer, Beverley, Blackpool, Bradford, Brighouse, Bridlington, Bishop Auck- land, Cullercoats, Darlington, Dewsbury, Drifneld, Filey, Heckmondwike, Horn- sea, Hull, Mexborough, Ryton-on-Tyne, Rotherham, Runswick, Selby, Scar- borough, Seaham, Seaton Delaval, Tynemouth and Wnitby.

Following the Chairman's address and one by the Secretary of the Institution, the Conference discussed a very full and comprehensive Agenda, which covered almost every point of interest and importance to workers for the Institution, great stress being laid upon the value of securing a good subscrip- tion list as the bed-rock basis of our financial support, and as the surest means of securing permanent interest on the part of contributors to the Institution's funds. It was very en- couraging to find how fully the value of the Ladies' Life-boat Guild had been realised in the North of England, and how rapidly the formation of the Guilds had progressed and was pro- gressing. Many valuable suggestions came from members of the Guild.

It is worthy of note that every delegate present had bofore him or her a list of all the novelties, mascots, badges, statuettes, paper weights, etc., etc., available for sale by Station and Financial Branches, and specimens of all these objects were admirably displayed on a central table, while the Hall itself was well decorated with the Institution's flags, emblems and bannerettes. The delegates also had before them a complete set of the leaflets, forms of appeal, films, notes for speakers, whist drive cards, etc., etc.

This greatly facilitated the discussion of detail, and was, in some cases, actually the best means of bringing what may be called the machinery of raising funds to the notice of those who are so generously engaged in carrying it out.

Arrangements were made to refund, on the spot, the actual railway expenses of those who wished for such refund, and it is very gratifying to state that the whole amount thus incurred was only £10 16s. 3d.

The Manchester Conference.

On the 12th October, the Lord Mayor of Manchester received the delegates before the Conference, which was held in the afternoon in the Mayor's Parlour, the Chair being taken, after the formal reception, by the Chairman of the Institution, supported by the Mayor of Salford, Sir William Milligan (Chairman of the Manchester and Salford Branch), and the Secretary of the Institution. The following Branches were represented :—Accrington, Ashtoii- in-Makerfield, Burnley, Bolton, Cul- cheth, Horwich, Heywood, Holling- worth, Hyde, Irlam, Kendal, Liverpool, Leigh, Little Hulton, Lymm, Manchester, Middlewich, Mottram, Maryport, New- ton-in-Makerfield, Nantwich, North- wich, Oldham, Preston, Padiham, Rams- bottom, St. Anue's-on-Sea, Stalybridge, Turton and Whitworth.

The Conference was on the same lines as that at Scarborough, the Hall being very tastefully decorated, and every delegate being provided with the same material as at the former place.

Here also the Conference was very fruitful in eliciting suggestions and stimulating emulation between different Branches in the same area.

The arrangements for the refund of railway fares were the same as at Scarborough, and the whole amount claimed was £6 3s. 3d., a tribute to the fine spirit in which delegates throughout the area approached the question of attending these Conferences.

At the conclusion of the Conference, the delegates were entertained to tea by the Lady Mayoress.

In the evening a Civic Reception took place in the Town Hall, which was profusely decorated, an admirable programme of music being provided.

The delegates were received by the Mayor and Mayoress, supported by the Chairman of the Institution and Sir William and Lady Milligan.

The London Conference.

On the 14th October a Conference of the Honorary Secretaries of the Greater London Branches and the members of the London Women's Committee was held by kind permission of the Mayor of Westminster in the City Hall, Westminster, under the Chairmanship of Viscountess Bertie of Thame, Chair- man of the London Women's Com- mittee. The first notices of the pro- posed Conference were sent out in June, and the final arrangements were notified in September, when it was also an- nounced that there would be a visit to the Institution's Storeyard at Poplar in the afternoon.

There were delegates from twenty-one Branches, and altogether thirty, includ- ing the members of the London Women's Committee, were present. As the meeting was held at the same time as the meeting of the General Purposes Committee, the Chairman of the Institu- tion was only able to attend at the commencement, when he gave a short address welcoming the delegates and thanking them for their presence, while he emphasised the value which the Committee of Management attached to the Conference. He also laid great stress on the importance of securing a large and growing list- of permanent subscribers, pointing out that the majority of persons who bequeathed money to the Institution by Will were old subscribers.

Many useful suggestions were made by the delegates, one being that Honorary Secretaries should collect small gifts and ask the members of the Ladies' Life-boat Guild to sell them for the Institution. In this we recognise our old friend the Jumble Sale or the " White Elephant" Sale, and I would take this opportunity of warmly com- mending this means of helping the Institution to those Honorary Secretaries who find it difficult to arrange for a Life-boat Day, a Bazaar, Fete or other Special Effort. Nearly everyone has some article " of bigotry or virtue," as Mrs. Malaprop would say, which they would gladly forego if they felt they were helping the Institution to realise its value. Any lady who would kindly take up the collection of such objects would, in a surprisingly short time, find herself in possession of an interesting collection, a sort of herd of " white elephants," which were of no particular use to their whilom owners, but might very well attract a new collector.

The D.O.S. explained the aims and objects of the London Women's Com- mittee, and told the delegates that that Committee were prepared to help the London Branches in every possible way.

My experience at Scarborough and Manchester and the report of the London Conference have confirmed me in the conviction that there is nothing better calculated to arouse the enthusiastic co-operation of our splendid Honorary Secretaries and members of the Ladies' Guild than these Conferences, which bring together workers for the Life-boat cause from all parts of the country.

Many of these are often isolated in their gallant efforts to bring the claims of the Life-boat Service before their more apathetic fellow citizens, and they keenly welcome the opportunity to compare notes, and the hints and suggestions which are developed in the course of a perfectly free discussion of ways and means such as these Conferences encourage.

It is certain that the Institution can- not neglect such a valuable means of consolidating its work and concentrating from time to time the energy, the enter- prise and the enthusiasm of its workers, so that this enthusiasm may, in turn, radiate in every direction and inspire an ever-widening interest in the great national Service entrusted to the Insti- tution..