IT was decided last year to open a new Life-boat Station at Kilronan, Aran Islands, at the entrance to Galway Bay on the west coast of Ireland. A Motor Life-boat of the Watson Cabin type is to be laid down for this Station, and until the new boat is ready, the William Evans, a Watson Motor Lifeboat, built in 1921, and stationed at Wexford until replaced this year by a Watson Cabin Life-boat, will be the Galway Life-boat.

She reached the Station on the 6th July last, and on the 8th September she visited Galway, where the new Station was formally inaugurated. Mr.

Martin McDonogh, T.D., Chairman of the Harbour Commissioners and President of the Galway Bay Branch, was in the chair, and the Free State Government was represented by Deputy Martin Roddy, Parliamentary Secretary to the Department of Fisheries.

In his opening speech Mr. Martin McDonogh pointed out that Ireland was still contributing to the Life-boat Service only half the sum spent annually in maintaining the Irish Stations, and heartily seconded the appeal of the Governor-General for more generous support.

Irish Free State and the Institution.

Deputy Martin Roddy then proposed a resolution thanking the Institution in the name of Galway, and pledging the county to use every means to secure an annual income sufficient at least to defray the cost of maintaining the Galway Motor Lifeboat Station at Kikonan. Mr. Roddy gave an account of the arrangements which had been made on the coasts of Southern Ireland for saving life from shipwreck since the Free State was established. The Marine Section of the Department of Industry and Commerce had taken over the Coast Life-saving Service, formerly maintained by the Board of Trade, and now had 53 Stations, manned partly by the Coastguard and partly by volunteers. The Life-boat Stations continued to be maintained by the Royal National Life-boat Institution, without any financial contribution being made to it by the Free State Government. The Government, however, provided the telephones free of charge, and every Life-boat Station and every Station of the Coast Life-saving Service was now connected with the telephone service. Mr. Roddy went on to say: " The relations between the Government and the Life-boat Institution have, since the establishment of the Saorstat, been of a most friendly character-.

The Government is glad to see the Institution continuing its activities in the Saorstat, and desires to extend to the work every facility in its power.

It recognizes that the work is of supreme importance, and deserving of every encouragement.

The establishment of this new Station in Galway Bay is due largely to representations made to the Institution by the Department of Industry and Commerce ; and I desire on behalf of that Department, as well as of the Government, to thank the Institution for the careful and speedy manner in which they looked into the case when it was put to them, and for the very satisfactory way in which they have met the needs of Galway Bay for protection." Mr. Roddy ended his speech with a tribute to " the wonderful record " of the Institution, and an appeal to Galway to make the new Station selfsupporting.

The resolution was seconded by the Very Rev. Canon A. J. Nestor, P.P., V.F.

Mr. T. J. W. Kenny moved, and Captain Tierney, the Harbour Master, seconded a vote of thanks to Mr. Roddy.

Mr. Herbert G. Solomon, the District Organizing Secretary for Ireland and Wales, then formally handed the Lifeboat to the Galway Bay Branch.

She was received by Mr. J. O'Kelly- Lynch, the Honorary Treasurer, who said that the Galway Chamber of Commerce was the first to take up the question of a Galway Station, and thanked the Institution for the way in which the request had been met.

Mr. O'Kelly-Lynch then handed the Life-boat to Father Hopkins, C.C., Honorary Secretary of the new Station, who, in receiving her, said that the men of Aran, who had a hard struggle for existence on the sea, would not be found wanting when called on to go to the rescue of their fellow men. During his short experience as Honorary Secretary of the Station, he had learnt the importance of efficiency in every detail, and he promised that, although the new Life-boat might not be called upon often, she should always be ready.

Mr. Sean Ford, D. J., proposed, and the Rev. John Nash, Rector of St. Nicholas, seconded a vote of thanks to the Chairman, the Harbour Commissioners, and the Harbour Master..