AN Irishman who was asked to help the Life-boat Service to form a Branch has replied that he has so many other things to subscribe to that he can do no more, and adds, " the only way the Life-boat can retaliate is when they see me drowning in a storm to leave me there." It is quite a safe thing to say. The Coxswains of the Life-boats never ask the shipwrecked to produce receipts showing that they ate subscribers to the Institution before rescuing them..