North-Eastern and South-Western Districts.

A CONFERENCE of Branches in the North-Eastern District was held at Harrogate on the 25th October, 1929.

Many of the delegates attended a reception given by the Mayor and Mayoress in the Royal Spa Concert Rooms on the evening of the 24th, and representatives of thirty-three Branches and Guilds were welcomed by the Mayor on the opening of the Conference. Sir Godfrey Baring, the Chairman of the Committee of Management, presided, supported by Mr. George F. Shee, M.A., the Secretary of the Institution, and the District Organising Secretary.

The Chairman thanked the Mayor for the very kind reception which Harrogate had given to the Conference, and spoke on the work of the Institution in general.

The Secretary then gave a brief survey of the notable part that the counties of Durham, Northumberland and York- shire had played in the foundation and development of the Life-boat Service.

A general discussion then took place on various items of propaganda and publicity, during which the following points were made :— The value of the personal and the handwritten appeal as distinct from the typewritten appeal, and the importance of applying for the renewal of con- tributions at the same time each year.

The best time for making appeals for subscriptions was considered to be the latter part of October or the beginning of November.

The value of small family parties, Whist Drives, Dances and Concerts in small places. In this connexion, the flags and bunting supplied by Head- quarters had been found to be a great attraction.

House-to-house Collections were generally agreed to be excellent ways of raising funds. In this appeal the col- lector was brought into personal touch with the householder. Several Branches held house-to-house collections in con- junction with the Flag Day, having the former on the Friday and the latter on the Saturday.

The view was expressed that Flag Days were as good as ever for raising money, particularly if the cause were popular. At Hull the experience was that the Life-boat Service was easily the most popular for street collections, and no difficulty was found in getting workers.

The value of keeping collectors to- gether during the year was emphasised.

In Hull an evening was arranged to which all workers were invited by the Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress. In this connexion the Secretary emphasised the importance of the Guild in achieving the same object. Life-boat Day and House-to-House collectors should all be enrolled as members of the Guild.

The placing of Life-boat Collecting Boxes in public-houses and hotels was spoken of, and several Branches had found it very profitable.

The Secretary urged Branches to make use of existing organisations, such as Eotary Clubs, Toe H, Brotherhoods, Women's Institutes, etc., and several Branches reported that considerable help had already been obtained from one or other of these bodies.

The Chairman stated that in many places on.the coast the actual residents of the town contributed very little, and the Branch relied upon visitors. It was time the residents did their share, and he instanced one Branch which had decided on a Special Effort to be held at a period of the year when there were few visitors, so as to induce the residents to support the Institution better.

The question of Life-boat Sunday was discussed, and the Secretary said that efforts had been made to get one Sunday set aside for the Life-boat Service, and the heads of the different churches had been approached, but there were diffi- culties because the matter was not essentially a religious one. In a large number of Branches Life-boat Sunday collections were arranged, and even where collections were not given much good could be done by asking the clergy of all denominations to mention the Institution in the sermon on the Sunday before Life-boat Day, and to appeal to ladies to come forward and help.

South-Western District.

Conferences of Branches in Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Someieet and Wiltshire were held at the Town Hall, Truro, on the 25th February, and in the Muni- cipal Buildings, Taunton, on the 27th February.

Representatives from nine Branches and five Ladies' Life-boat Guilds attended the' Conference at Truro, and representatives from twenty-five Branches and eleven Ladies' Life-boat Guilds at Taunton. At each Con- ference an official welcome was given to £he delegates by the Mayor, and the Ghair was taken by Sir Godfrey Baring, Bt., Chairman of the Committee of Management, supported by Mr. George F. Shee, M.A., the Secretary of the Institution, and the District Organising Secretary.

The Chairman thanked the delegates for their presence, and expressed the Committee's warm appreciation of the help which Honorary Secretaries and workers had given during the past year.

Mr. Shee then gave a survey of the work of the Institution, and particularly of the part played by the counties in the South-West of England.

A general discussion followed on various items of propaganda and pub- licity, during which the following points were made:— The great value of the Ladies' Life- boat Guild, even in places where results were already very good.

The extension of Branch activities by the inclusion of villages round a town.

The importance of annual subscrip- tions. In this connexion the value of the personal touch was strongly empha- sised by many delegates, while it was agreed that a postal appeal, if sent out on the right lines, could also be made effective.

The importance of sending out appli- cations for the renewal of all contribu- tions.

The value of house-to-house collec- tions, bridge drives and jumble sales.

The value of collecting boxes in hotels, shops and public-houses was referred to, and Branches urged to make more use of this form of collecting.

The Chairman urged the value of the Street Collection as reaching the " smaller " contributors, and appealed to Branches to do everything possible to obtain a -date for a Life-boat Day.

The Secretary pointed out the value of getting plergy of all denominations to refer to the Institution and its work in the sermon on the Sunday before Life- boat Day,'and of obtaining the help of existing Societies, such as Rotary Clubs, British Legion, Women's Institutes, Boy Scouts and Girl Guides, Brother- hoods, etc., etc.

The Secretary spoke of the splendid support received from shops, works, factories, etc., all over the country, but stated that in the South-West of England the response had been disappointing.

He urged Honorary Secretaries to do all they could in this direction, especially by sending to the District Organising Secretary a list of the firms in their area which employed a number of people, so that the general appeal for an annual collection could be sent to them.

The Chairman emphasised the value of a properly organised Annual Meeting.

Such a meeting should be made as attractive as possible, and should be held in the evening, when more people would be free to attend than in the afternoon..