LIFE-BOAT Week at Bristol this year included a most successful and well organised Life-boat Day on Thursday, 16th June, and an assembly from 11 Branches in the Midlands District for a Conference which was held on Saturday, 18th June. In spite of generally unfavourable weather this appears to have been found stimulating and enjoyable by all those who attended.

Branches represented were : Birmingham, Bristol, Cheltenham, Cleethorpes, Lichfield, Leicester, Nottingham, Betford, Smethwick, Spilsby, and Button Coldfield.

The Lord Mayor of Bristol gave his patronage, as President of the Bristol Branch, and would, no doubt, have been able to give more time to the Conference had the Assizes not been in progress in the city. Sir Godfrey Baring, Bt., Chairman of the Committee of Management, addressed the Conference, but Mr. George F. Shee, the Secretary, was unfortunately prevented by ill-health from making the journey to Bristol. His place was taken by Major C. B. Satterthwaite, the Deputy-Secretary.

The proceedings opened on Friday evening, 17th June, with a reception for the delegates at the beautiful house of Mr. F. 0. Wills, Chairman of the Bristol Branch, at Clifton Down. The Lord Mayor attended and welcomed the delegates with a most cordial speech.

Mrs. Horace Walker, President of the Bristol Ladies' Life-boat Guild, and Mr. Herbert Major, "Vice-Chairman of the Bristol Branch, and Mr. and Mrs.

Haitly Hodder, Honorary Secretaries respectively of the Branch and Guild, were present, together with many members of the Bristol Branch Committee and the Guild.

The Conference itself was held in the Bristol Branch of the Royal Colonial Institute. The Lord Mayor was prevented from attending by important civic business, and Mr. F. 0. Wills, Chairman of the Branch, welcomed the delegates and expressed appreciation of the work of the Bristol ladies.

Sir Godfrey Baring, in his opening address, declared that such Conferences tad always been uniformly successful.

He referred particularly to the valuable work of the ladies to whose agency at least two-thirds of the money collected for the Institution was due, and he emphasised the value of small regular subscriptions. He gave an account of the Institution's programme for the building of Motor Life-boats, and stated that the total cost of that programme would be over half a million pounds. He referred to the vague charges of extravagant administration which are sometimes thoughtlessly levelled against the Institution, and mentioned that the administrative expenses were under 5 per cent, of the whole expenditure.

He declared that if the Life-boats were handed over to the State the Service would lose a great deal of its elasticity in administration and that red-tape methods would creep in.

Need for New Branches.

Major Satterthwaite, after conveying the Secretary's apologies and regrets for his absence, referred to the general state of the Midlands District, and to the large number of towns where no Branch exists. He appealed to those present to put the District Organising Secretary in touch with any persons of either sex in such towns who might be ready to assist in forming Branches.

He referred in some detail to the number of rescues in recent years, and concluded by an appeal for regular subscriptions, particularly asking that members of the Local Committee should ensure that their own names appeared yearly as subscribers.

Mrs. Horace Walker, President of the Bristol Ladies' Life-boat Guild, referred to the work of the Bristol ladies, and said that although the local Guild had only been in existence for three and a half years it had fully justified its existence. She stated that Life-boat Days were really the only way of getting into touch with the people who could afford to give only small sums, and mentioned that the result of the Life-boat Day in Bristol on the 16th June would be over £300.

She concluded with an appeal to Bristol to do even better than that in the future.

Captain P. T. Winter, the District Organising Secretary for the Midlands, then read a report on the general condition of the Midlands District. He mentioned that of the 111 Branches in the District there were 59 which did not possess a working Committee, and very many towns of considerable importance where no Branch existed at all. He drew special attention to the value of the Works Collection, and gave details showing the considerable increase which had resulted from it in recent years.

Value of the Ladies' life-boat Guild.

A general discussion on matters of publicity and propaganda followed.

Mr. Hartly Hodder emphasised the value of the personal note in appeals, and urged that every member of a Branch or Guild ought to make it a point of honour to secure at least one fresh subscriber each year. The value of the Ladies' Life-boat Guild was referred to by a number of delegates, and it is hoped that some Branches where no Guild exists will be enabled to form one as a result of the discussion.

Captain Crookes, of the Sir John Franklin (Spilsby) Branch, called attention to the fact that Branches in the Midlands District had few chances of seeing actual Life-boat Stations, and asked whether arrangements could be made to notify inland Branches when practice launches of Life-boats on the coast were taking place.

On the subject of the Works Collections discussion took place as to the advisability of issuing these locally, and the general opinion was undoubtedly; in favour of this. The proceedings terminated with a vote of thanks, proposed by Mr. Hartly Hodder, and seconded by Mr. George Ward, Vice- Chairman of the Birmingham Branch.; The Conference broke up shortly before 1 o'clock, and it was felt that had time permitted it might well have been continued f 01 a longer period.

In the afternoon the delegates were enabled to inspect the Institution's Padstow steam tug Helen Peele, 'which was moored at St. Augustine's Bridge.

Captain H. G. Innes, the Western District Inspector, was in charge of the tug, and the delegates were much struck by the beautiful condition of the vessel. After the inspection the delegates were taken for a motor drive in various private cars provided by the members of the Bristol Branch, and were finally taken to Mrs. Horace Walker's house at Yate, where a Garden Party was held. Unfortunately the weather was unfavourable, but all those present enjoyed Mrs. Walker's hospitality. On Sunday, 19th June, an Organ Recital took place at St.

Mary Bedclifie, and the delegates were able to inspect this beautiful church.

Too much praise cannot be given to Mr. and Mrs. Hartly Hodder for the enormous amount of work which they did in arranging the Conference and the other items of entertainment which were so much enjoyed by the delegates.

The Institution is deeply grateful also to Mrs. Walker and Mr. F. O. Wills for their hospitality. It is hoped that these Conferences will become an annual affair and that next year possibly two Conferences may be arranged for the Midlands District—one in the eastern part of the area and one in the west.

By this means delegates from more Branches should be able to attend, and there is little doubt that it will be advisable for sucb Conferences to sit in the afternoon as well as the morning so as to give more time for a general discussion.

The London Conference.

The Annual Conference of Honorary Secretaries of Branches in Greater London was held at the City Hall, Westminster, where the delegates were welcomed by the Mayor, who said that while the City of London was the birthplace of the Life-boat Service, the City of Westminster had been the home of its headquarters for many years, and that he was very glad to have an opportunity of showing his pleasure in the close association between Westminster and the Service.

Sir Godfrey Baring, Bt., Chairman of the Committee of Management, presided, supported by Lady Florence Pery, Honorary Secretary of the Ladies' Life-boat Guild, and Mr. George F.

Shee, M.A., Secretary of the Institution, and Captain the Hon. R. S. Mansfield, O.B.E., Organising Secretary for Greater London, There were present the Honorary Secretaries of Bexley, Bexley Heath, Fulham, New Maiden, Pinner, St. Albans, Tottenham, West Norwood, Barking, Woodford and Epping, Roehampton and Putney.

Sir Godfrey Baring thanked the Lifeboat workers of London for the great efforts which they had made on Lifeboat Day. The results never quite came up to expectations, but it was becoming more and more -difficult to organise such appeals, and in the ten days before Life-boat Day this year no fewer than four other Flag Days had I been held.

An effort must be made next year to get an earlier date, for street appeals were the only means of reaching every class of the community. The Chairman also emphasised the importance of getting more regular subscribers in London. There were districts with 30,000 and 40,000 inhabitants where the subscription list was almost nothing.

Mr. Shee then spoke on some of the methods of appeals which the Institution asked its workers to use, and their suitability for the different types of district. The first was the postal circular. It was less suitable to London than to other towns, but there were boroughs of London, such as Kensington and Paddington, where its use should certainly be considered.

To be of value, however, it was important that the Branch should get it signed by some one of real local influence, that it should be addressed to the right class of house, and that it should be so worded as to show the particular claim of the Life-boat Service on the Borough in which it was issued.

The House-to-House Envelope Appeal, again, while it would be useless in the West End, might be used with great effect in the suburbs. It entailed heavy work on the ladies carrying it out, for the essence of the appeal was that they should personally leave the envelopes, and personally call for them two days later.

The small drawing-room meeting; at which the hostess collected no more than five or six of hei friends, might be of great value, if widely used, in enlisting new workers.

The collecting card was a very simple way of helping the Institution, especially for ladies who might feel shy of speaking or collecting in the streets. One lady had collected £15 with one card and then £11 with a second one. Mr. Shee toped that every member of the Guild would undertake to get at least three 5s. subscribers.

On the subject of Life-boat Day, Mr. Shee said that a Committee was to be set up which would take London borough by borough, with the object of setting up a good organisation in each.

A discussion followed, principally on the most suitaWe date for Life-boat Day, and the best type of badge. The majority were in favour of holding the day in April. They were also in favour of having only the house-flag and the small paper badge in the form of a Life-boat, being unanimous against adopting a flower or having two types of badge, one to be given in return for copper and the other for silver.

The Dumfries Conference.

At the Conference of all the Scottish Branches, held in Edinburgh last January, it was decided that from time to time area conferences should be arranged by the Scottish Council.

The first of these Conferences was held at Dumfries on April 28th, Provost O'Brien taking the chair. The Duke of Montrose, Chairman of the Scottish Council, was present, and the following Branches were represented : Dumfries, Annan, Kirkcudbright, Port Logan, Stranraer, and Newton Stewart. Addresses were given by the Duke of Montrose, the Rev. Robert Primrose, V.D., the District Inspector, and the District Organising Secretary. The Duke of Montiose pointed out that the basis of representation on the Scottish Council was that every Branch raising £100 was entitled to send one representative, Branches raising £200 two, and Edinburgh and Glasgow three each. It was a matter for great regret that out of 105 Scottish Branches only 18 were entitled to be represented on the Council.

He also pointed out that £18,000 a year was required simply to maintain the Scottish Life-boats and at present Scotland raised only £11,000. They ought, he thought, to have sufficient national pride to provide the money for maintaining their own Life-boats.

Reports were received from the Branches, and the District Organising Secretary reported that new Branches had been formed at Lockerbie and Newton Stewart, and asked for the names of those who might help in forming Branches in Mofiat, Ecclefechan, Dalbeattie, Castle Douglas, and Ballantrae..