FOR some considerable period the Committee of Management have felt that the organisation in Scotland of our appeal for funds to carry on the Life-boat Service has not been effective, and that, as a result, the amount raised in that part of the United King- dom has not been commensurate either with the generosity of the Scottish people when an appeal for a great national purpose is adequately pre- sented for their sympathy and support, or with the large expenditure both as regards capital and annual outlay for permanent maintenance to which the Institution has been committed in the provision of Motor Life-boats on the Scottish coast.

Taking the latter point first, it will interest our Scottish subscribers par- ticularly to have a brief survey of the situation. At the end of October last, the new Motor Life-boat provided by the Institution reached Aberdeen after a record journey from Cowes, which is fully described in this issue, and with her arrival Scotland may claim that she possesses one of the most powerful and up-to-date Life-boats in the world.

But this boat, which is 60 feet long, with twin screws, two 76 h.p. engines and two cabins, is only one of several which tlie Royal National Life-boat Institution has just built or is now building for Stations on the Scottish coasts—Life-boats involving an ex- penditure of many thousands of pounds.

The Aberdeen Life-boat was the third Motor Life-boat to be sent to Scotland in 1926. In September two boats of a very powerful type went to Montrose and Longaope, and a new Motor Life- boat of the same type as the Aberdeen boat, but rather smaller, to suit the special conditions of the Orkneys, is now under construction, for Stromness.

She will replace the present Stromness Motor Life-boat, which has been at that Station since 1908, and was one of the first to be built by the Institu- tion.

The Aberdeen and Stromness boats are of the type known as the Barnett Twin Screw, and the Montrose and Longhope boats are of the Watson Cabin type. They will owe much to Scottish brains and traditional interest in Life-boat construction. For they were designed by, and the types named after, the late Mr. G. L. Watson and Mr. J. R. Barnett, the late and present heads respectively of the famous Glas- gow firm of Naval Architects, Messrs.

G. L. Watson and Company.

In addition to these boats there are Motor Life-boats at Port Patrick (Wig- townshire), Cambeltown (Argyllshire), Wick (Caithness-shire), Buckie (Banff- shire), Fraserburgh (Aberdeenshire), Peterhead (Aberdeenshire), Broughty Ferry (Forfarshire), and St. Abbs (Berwickshire); and it is proposed to lay down Motor Life-boats for Kirkcud- bright (Kirkcudbrightshire), Thurso (Caithness-shire), Cromarty (Ciomarty- shire), Stornoway (Island of Lewis), Whitehills (Banfishire), Troon (Ayr- shire), Girvan (Ayrshire), and Dunbar (Haddingtonshire). Thus, out of d3 Life-boats on the Scottish coasts, 12 are now Motor Life-boats, and in the near future the number will be 20.

As two Motor Life-boats are regarded as equivalent to five Pulling and Sailing Life-boats in life-saving capacity, the number of Stations will probably be reduced as the proportion of Motor Life-boats is increased, and when there are 20 they will represent more than half the Meet on the coasts of Scotland.

These 20 Motor Life-boats will in- volve a capital expenditure of nearly £150,000 on the boats alone. In addition, the construction of Boat- houses and Slipways will Lave cost over £100,000. The annual cost of maintenance of the boats alone will be about £12,000. and if the maintenance of Pulling and Sailing Boats, Slipways, Boathouses, Tractors, etc., is included, tie annual cost of maintenance will not be far short of £18,000.

An interesting feature in connection with the despatch of the latest and most powerful Motor Life-boat in the Institution's fleet to Aberdeen is that the Life-boat establishment at this city is the last of those on the coast which have been taken over by the Institution at the express wish of other authorities. The unity of control and administration which has characterised the Institution during the 103 years of its existence has evolved naturally out of the needs of the Service, which provides not for the coast of England, or Scotland, or Ireland or Wales alone, but for the whole of the coasts of the British Isles. As the Institution has advanced in the scope and efficiency of the national Service entrusted to it, so has one ancient local association after another asked to be taken over, managed and administered by the Committee of Management, to whom, under the Royal Charter, the whole of the management and administration of all the affairs of the Institution are entrusted. The last of such local organisations to be ab- sorbed were the Spurn Life-boat estab- lishment (1911), the Ramsgate Life- boat Station (1922), both at the instance of the Board of Trade, and, in 1925, the establishment at Aberdeen, which was taken over at the instance of the Aberdeen Harbour Commissioners, so that one of the most important ports in Scotland has quite recently cemented the unity of the Life-boat Service con- trolled by the Institution.

Turning to the amount raised in Scotland in subscriptions, donations and collections, the following are the gross amounts collected in the years given:—

1920-21 1921-22 1922-23 1923-24 1924 25 1925-26 £11,374 £10,916 £10,512 £12,993 (Centenary Year) £11,005 £10,650 The amount raised in 1925-26 was about the same as that raised in 1915, though in 1917 and 1918 over £12,500 was raised. As will be seen, the figures for the last few years have been dis- appointing, and they appear more so in the light of the percentage progress made in the raising of funds in other parts of the United Kingdom.

Svace 1914, for instance, tb.6 p%t- centage increase in the funds raised in the seven districts was as follows :—• Date.

48 i 170 91 27 87 103 75 99 68 1916 | 99 i 106 82 ISO 1919-20: 203 j 198 252 160 1925-26 280 207 I 181 105 It will be seen that the percentage progress was less in Scotland than in any other part of the United Kingdom, and that the only district comparable was Ireland and 'Wales, where the political conditions in the former and the appalling industrial depression in the latter provide factors which have put these two areas practically out of the running for the last three or four years.

The Committee of Management, feel- ing great concern at what appeared to be a failure to secure and maintain the assistance of a body of enthusiastic men and women who would be willing to give a certain amount of their time and energies to placing the claims of the Institution before their fellow- citizens, tried to arrange for conferences of Honorary Secretaries to be held in Scotland at which friends of the move- ment could be brought into touch with one another from time to time to hear of the progress and development of the Life-boat Service, to discuss ways and means, to meet, possibly, the Chairman of the Committee of Management and the Secretary, and thus to find mutual encouragement and stimulation to further effort. Unfortunately, it was not found possible to give effect to the wishes of the Committee of Management in this mattei, and they were reluctantly com- pelled to make a change in the organiza- tion of the work in Scotland.

While they were considering this im- portant matter, it was urged upon them that there had not been sufficient touch with the opinion of Branch Hon.

Secretaries and others, who were anxious to assist the Institution in raising funds ; and the suggestion was made that an Advisory Council should be formed which would be in the position, of giving the Institution, valuable counsel on all matters connected with propaganda and publicity, and thus enabling the Com- mittee of Management, in turn, to convey to the Scottish people, through such a Council, their aims, and also the methods which they had found so effective in the raising of funds in other parts of the United Kingdom.

The Committee gladly welcomed such a proposal, which, indeed, met the purpose they had in view in the develop- ment of conferences throughout the country. It was, therefore, decided to hold a Conference, which took place in DowelFs Rooms, Edinburgh, on Satur- day the 15th January. All the Scottish Branches, including even those few which existed only in name, were invited to send representatives, and about 70 representatives accepted the invitation, some members of Committee coming from such distant places as Stornoway, Stromness and Campbel- town.

The Chairman of the Committee of Management, Sir Godfrey Baring, Bt., presided, and in addition, other mem- bers of the Committee of Management, the Hon. George Colville, Deputy Chairman, Major-General the Right Hon. J. E. B. Seely, C.B., C.M.G., D.S.O., Commander Guy Fanshawe, R.N., M.P., and Sir John Gumming, K.C.I.E., C.S.I., were present, as well as the Duke of Montrose, a Vice-President of the In- stitution (and therefore a member of the Committee of Management), who had taken an active part in bringing about the Conference. Mr. George F. Shee, Secretary of the Institution, was also present, accompanied by Major C. R.

Satterthwaite, the Deputy Secretary, The Conference was most successful, and a resolution in favour of the formation of a Scottish Council of 40 or 50 members, to promote and further the Life-boat Cause in Scotland, and to make recommendations to the Com- mittee of Management in London on matters pertaining to the organization of the Institution in Scotland, provided that the Council should not deal in any way with the management or control of Station Branches, was moved by General Seely, seconded by the Hon.

George Colville, and carried unani- mously.

A Sub-Committee was appointed then and there to draft a constitution for the Council, and the Resolutions, adopted by the Conference and by the Sub- Committee, respectively, were finally approved by the Committee of Manage- ment, with slight modifications, at their meeting on the 20th January, 1927, and it was decided to call the first meeting of the Scottish Council for Tuesday the 15th February, repre- sentatives of Branches being invited to attend on the basis laid down by the Sub-Committee referred to above, namely:— One representative to be nominated by each Branch which has remitted to the Institution in the year ending 30th September previous to the biennial meeting of the Council upwards of £100; and two representatives to be nominated by each Branch which has remitted to the Institution in the year ending 30th September previous to the biennial meeting of the Council upwards of £200, Three representatives to be nomi- nated by the Edinburgh Branch and the Glasgow Branch? respectively.

Meanwhile, the Committee of Manage- ment appointed Miss May Connell to the post of District Organizing Secre- tary for Scotland in succession to Captain Kingsley Martin. Miss Connell had had great experience in the raising of funds when working for the Friends' Relief Committee, and subsequently for the Universities Committee of the Imperial Belief Fund. The work with the former Committee was on behalf of Russian Famine Relief, and involved organization all over Scotland and close touch with many public-spirited men and women; while the work in con- nection with the Universities Com- mittee took Miss Council frequently to Scottish University towns. Prior to this work, Miss Connell served under the Society of Friends in Germany between 1920 and 1923, having charge of a Belief Depot in Frankfurt, and subsequently assisting with their Stu- dent Relief work in Berlin.

The first meeting of the Scottish Council, which is to meet biennially, took place in Dowell's Rooms, Edin- burgh, on the 15th February, Sir Godfrey Baring, Chairman of the Com- mittee of Management, in the Chair, pending the election of a Chairman of the Council. The following were present in a representative capacity :•—• His Grace the Duke of Montrose, Lady Fmdlay (Edinburgh), Mrs. Kil- gour and Mr. George Alexander (Aber- deen), Mr. Leonard Gow and Mr. John C. Hay (Glasgow), Mr. Wm. Williamson and Mr. W. Bertram (Dunbar), Rev.

P. R. Landreth (Perth), Rev. Robert Oswald (Largs), Mr. James Clacher (Perth), Mr. James Steven (Wick), Mr.

George Duncan (Peterhead), Mr. George Scrymgeour (Dundee), Mr. D. Hether- ington (Kirkcaldy), Mr. John Ritchie and Mr. W. Dykes Brown (Paisley), Mr. James Cuthbert (Alloa), Mr. James C. Clark (Montrose), Mr. David H. Tait (Ayr), Mr. Duncan Colville (Campbel- town), and Mr. W. B. Wilson, W.S.

(Edinburgh).

Thurso and Dunfermline were unable to send representatives, although en- titled to do so.

There were also present Mr. T. S.

Paterson, W.S., the Secretary of the Edinburgh Branch, Mr. A, Gordon Martin, Asst.-Secreta.ry of the Glasgow Branch, and Mr. D. C. Dick of Kil- marnock, who, while not entitled to attend, was nevertheless invited by the Chairman to take part in the dis- cussion, In the absence of the Secretary of the Institution through illness, Major C. R. Satterthwaite, the Deputy Secre- tary, attended, and Miss May Connell, the District Organizing Secretary for Scotland, was present.

At the request of the Chairman of the Committee of Management the Deputy Secretary read the Resolutions of the Committee of Management, creating the Council and laying down the basis of its constitution and of the other Committees. The substance of these resolutions has been given above, except that which referred to other Committees, which was to the effect that, such Committees be set up at Aberdeen, Dumfries, Dundee, Edin- burgh, Glasgow, Hawick, Inverness and Perth, the Conveners for each area to be appointed, in the first instance, by the Council, and subsequently by the Area Committee. Each Branch to be entitled to send one or more repre- sentatives (but not exceeding two) to attend the meetings of the Area Com- mittees.

Also that representatives attending the biennial meeting at Edinburgh and Glasgow be entitled to a refund by the Branch of third-class return fares (only).

Election of Officers.

His Grace the Duke of Montrose was elected Chairman, being proposed by Mr. Leonard Gow, Glasgow, and seconded by Rev. P. R. Landreth, Perth. In replying the Duke requested Sir Godfrey Baring to remain in the Chair for this meeting.

Lieut.-Col. Sir James Wishart Thom- son, K.B.E., was elected Vice-Chairman, being proposed by Mr. Bertram, Dun- bar, and seconded by Mr. W. B. Wilson, Edinburgh.

Lady Findlay was elected Honorary Secretary, being proposed by His Grace the Duke of Montrose and seconded by Mr. Scrymgeour, Dundee.

The Duke proposed that the Chair- man and Deputy Chairman of the Institution should be ex-officio members of the Scottish Council, and this was carried unanimously.

On the proposal of Mr. Scrymgeour, Dundee, it was resolved that the tearae of office of the three Honorary Officials should be for three years.

The Chairman then introduced the new District Organizing Secretary for Scotland, Miss May Connell of Glasgow.

Location of Scottish Headquarters.

The question of the location of the Scottish Headquarters of the Institu- tion was then discussed. Mr. John C.

Hay proposed that Scottish Headquar- ters should be in Glasgow on account of its being such a strong commercial centre.

Mr. Scrymgeour, Dundee, moved an amendment in favour of Edinburgh, Mr. Alexander, Aberdeen, seconding.

Several members took part in the dis- cussion, and on being put to the vote the amendment was carried by 11 votes to 8.

Area Committees.

The question of the appointment of Conveners of Area Committees was then discussed, and after some debate it was moved by the Duke of Montrose and seconded by Mr. Scrymgeour, " That no fixed Area Committees be appointed, but that Area Conferences be arranged by the Council from time to time as seems desirable." On being put to the vote the Resolution was carried by 10 votes to 3.

Publicity and Propaganda.

A general discussion then ensued with regard to the best means of Publicity and Propaganda. The Chair- man urged the importance of making more effective use of the Press and the desirability of Hon. Secretaries, of Station Branches promptly sending interesting reports of Life-boat activity to the local Press, which, he pointed out, were always willing to accept the reports of current events, but would not publish stale news. Broadcasting by wireless in addition to Press reports was strongly advocated.

In order to make the work of the Institution more widely known, the Duke of Montrose suggested the ap- pointment of the Bev. Robert Ure Primrose as Lecturer for Scotland.

After some discussion it was decided to leave the matter open, and it was meantime resolved " That the Com- mittee of Management be asked to sanction the appointment of a lecturer on terms to be arranged." Other methods of Publicity and Pro- paganda, such as the formation of Ladies' Life-boat Guilds, the display of Life-boat films, etc., were strongly re- commended.

A short discussion took place with regard to the termination of Captain Martin's appointment, and no resolution was moved.

It was resolved that the next meeting of the Scottish Council should be held in Glasgow early in May, the date to be subsequently arranged.

There being no other business the meeting terminated.

The Committee of Management are satisfied that the establishment of a Scottish Advisory Council will prove most beneficialin reviving and stimu- lating the interest of the Scottish people in the Life-boat Service, and in organizing a powerful financial appeal on its behalf. They feel sure that, under such auspices and with sound organization, it should be possible within a comparatively short time to raise in Scotland a sum not far short of the £17,000 or £18,000 which the cost of maintenance of the whole Service on the Scottish coast will involve when the present scheme of Motor Life-boat con- struction is nearly complete. The Com- mittee are anxious, however, that there should be no misunderstanding with regard to the attitude of the Institution in this matter. It will provide and maintain the best and most efficient Life-boat Service wherever it is required, whether the particular country or the particular district can and does con- tribute a sum sufficient to cover the cost of maintenance or not. It is obvious, for instance, that neither Longhope nor Stromness nor Storno- way could hope to pay for the cost of maintenance of the new and powerful Motor Life-boats which are either pro- vided, under construction or projected for those three Stations, to say nothing of the heavy cost of providing Boat- houses and Slipways at Longhope and Stromness.

The Institution has never hesitated and will never hesitate to spend whatever is required so long as the British people continue to accord to the Life-boat Service the confidence and the generous support which has been given" during the last century.

Nor can the Committee of Management doubt that when the facts are fully known and realized in Scotland the generosity of the Scottish people will respond without stint to a claim which must make a very special appeal to the instincts of a people whose history is full of the records of national heroism..