WE publish on page 17 a table showing the twenty Branches which made the largest contributions to the Institution during the financial year ending the 30th September, 1929.

The total sum raised by these twenty Branches was £42,050, which is £2,334 more than in 1928. The contribution required to secure inclusion among the first twenty last year was the highest yet reached, no less than £745 being neces- sary to find a place, as against £694 in 1928 and £685 in 1927. This fact enhances the credit due to the first twenty Branches.

The Institution now has 1,040 Branches, several of which, like the Isle of Wight, and Bournemouth, include a number .of Sub-Branches which are fully organised units. They raised last year approximately £117,600, so that the first twenty, by raising £42,050, were, as in previous years, responsible for well over a third of the total.

As foreshadowed last year, Glasgow has continued the remarkable advance started three years ago and, with a further increase of over £1,000 this year, takes second place for the first time, having beaten both Manchester and Liverpool. Edinburgh drops from fifth to seventh, thus changing places with Birmingham, which rises from seventh to fifth. Belfast goes up from thirteenth to ninth, while Dublin drops from ninth to thirteenth. Dundee re- turns to the list after being absent since 1923-24, and at once jumps to twelfth place, and Clacton-on-Sea (sixteenth) and Exeter (twentieth) come into the list for the first time. The last-named three Branches displace Douglas, Hull, and Newcastle-on-Tyne.

The City of London in the list is simply the area covered by the City Branch ; that is to say, the City proper, the " square mile " within the original boundaries, and also the Borough of Finsbury. The whole of Greater London, including a number of Branches, raised £20,030.

In the City, with its fluctuating population, and in the big seaside resorts, where there is a great influx of summer visitors, any calculation of the amount per head is impossible. It will be seen that of those Branches in the list where such a calculation can be made, Exeter comes easily first with the fine figure of 3d. per head. Three others have a per head contribution of over Id.—Dundee and District, Glasgow and District and Bradford and District.

Many Branches which do not appear in the list have a higher per head con- means l d. per head of the population, tribution than any of the twenty, for, or £6 5s. per 1,000. of course, the smaller the population, It will be seen, therefore, that every the easier it is to get a high collection Branch should aim at getting at least per head. Id. per head of the population within its In order to appreciate the significance area ; and none should be satisfied with of the " per head " figure, it should be less than d., and that those large towns noted that l%d. per head of the whole which raise more than this have reason population, or £5 4s. per 1,000, is re- to congratulate themselves on the quired to produce £250,000 a year, effectiveness of their methods of appeal, which, until lately, sufficed to provide and to be proud of the generosity with and maintain the whole Life-boat Ser- which their citizens have responded to vice. Now, however, owing to the the call of the Life-boat Service. But, increased cost of the Motor Life-boat, as stated above, it must be borne in the total required is £300,000 a year, mind that it is much more difficult to only one-third of the cost of the Aqui- achieve this result in great cities, with a tuitia, and only one-thirtieth of the cost huge working-class population, than in of the battle-cruiser H.M.S. Hood. This smaller towns and seaside resorts. Population f'f ef Amount Position Branch. County. of Branch area. LOlieC tion. per head. last year. £ d. 1. City of London * London : — 9,930 — 1 2. Glasgow and District . Lanark . 1,060,000 5,152 1-17 4 3. Manchester and Salford Lancashire 1,279,000 3,973 0-75 2 4. Liverpool and District . Lancashire 955,000 3,343 0-84 3 5. Birmingham and District Warwickshire . 1,007,000 2,427 0-58 7 6. Bradford and District . Yorkshire 394,700 1,856 1-13 6 7. Edinburgh, Leith and Granton Edinburgh 512,000 1,721 0-81 5 8. Eastbourne f Sussex 66,634 1,526 — 8 9. Belfast .... Antrim . 415,151 1,264 0-73 13 10. Leeds and District Yorks 600,000 1,231 0-49 12 1 1 . Bristol and District Gloucestershire 390,000 1,198 0-74 11 12. Dundee and District Forfarshire 196,974 1,192 145 — 13. City of Dublin Dublin . 431,000 1,184 0-66 9 14. Poole, Bournemouth, etc.t . Dorset 146,200 1,065 — 10 15. Isle of Wight f . . ' . Hants 94,150 963 — 14 16. Clacton-on-Sea f • Essex 17,050 935 — — 17. Margate t • Kent 46,500 816 — 17 18. Aberdeen .... Aberdeenshire . 188,000 769 0-98 18 19. Southampton and District Hants 235,600 760 0-77 16 20=- Exeter .... Devon 59,600 745 3-00 Douglas .... 15 Hull and District . — — — — 19 Newcastle-on-Tyne — — — 20 * Fluctuation of population, so that no calculation per head is possible. t Resident population. This is greatly increased by the influx of visitors all through the season..