By Lieut.-Col. C. R. Satterthwaite, O.B.E., Secretary of the Institution.

SINCE the Royal National Life-boat Institution, in its Centenary year of 1924, organized the first International Life-boat Conference ever held, it has become the custom to hold such con- ferences in different countries every four years. Paris and Amsterdam staged the conferences of 1928 and 1932 and the Conference of 1936 was organized by the Swedish Life-boat Society and held in Gothenburg between July 7th and 9th.

Although the Swedish Government is responsible for a number of life- saving stations, with twelve pulling life-boats and some rocket apparatus, the main organization in Sweden is in the hands of a society like our own, supported by voluntary contributions.

It was founded in 1903, and has twenty- seven life-boat stations, at ten of which motor life-boats are maintained.

Three of the motor life-boats carry out patrol work outside the " skerries " which abound on the Swedish coast; and the society also maintains rocket apparatus at seventeen stations.

Sixteen Nations Represented.

Space does not permit me to give a complete list of the delegates, nor of the papers contributed for discussion.

Sixteen nations sent representatives, and the total number of delegates was fifty-four. Twenty-four papers were contributed, printed and circulated in advance, and discussed at the Con- ference. It was particularly fortunate that the United States, not represented in Holland in 1932, were able to send a strong delegation, representing the United States Coast Guard ; and that Iceland, on the coast of which so many British trawlers meet disaster, was also represented, for the firsts time a* these Conferences.

The British delegation consisted of the Hon. George Colville, deputy chairman of the Institution; Captain V. S. Rashleigh, C.B.E., R.N., Chief Inspector of H.M. Coastguard (repre- senting the Board of Trade); Captain R. L. Hamer, R.N., deputy chief inspector of life-boats, representing the chief inspector; Captain A. G. Bremner, R.N., the Institution's superintendent engineer; Mr. J. R. Barnett, O.B.E., M.I.N.A., consulting naval architect to the Institution, and myself. We contributed five papers between us.

Captain Rashleigh's was on rescuing lives from the shore ; the Institution's four papers were on wireless telephony in life-boats ; light, high-speed Diesel engines ; the tunnels and rudders of life-boats; and the organization of the Institution.

Among the many delegates whom we now feel entitled to call old friends, both from our association at previous conferences and from constant collaboration at other times, I would mention the Dutch contingent, our hosts of 1932: Mr. Tegelberg, Baron Sweerts, Mr. Wierdsma, Captain de Booy and his son, Lieut.-Commander Theodore de Booy, the present secre- tary of the North and South Holland Life-boat Society, and Professor Vossnack; Vice-Admiral Lacaze, President of the French Societe Centrale, its secretary, Captain Le Verger, its chief inspector, Captain Cogniet, and Professor BarriUon; Captain Fabricius, of Denmark; Captain Benno Mentz, the German chief inspector, who made the trip to Gothenburg in a motor life- boat ; and Commandant Goor, of Belgium.

One old friend was missing, the late Captain Vogt of Norway, his place being taken by the new secretary of the Norwegian Society, Captain Hans Holter. Our Swedish friends I will mention later. The conference was a happy blend of hard work and hospitable entertain- ment. Hard work, unquestionably, for the subjects of the papers covered all aspects of the work of our societies, from publicity questions to engine design, and included organization, rescues from the shore, life-boat design and tank experiments on models, new items and new designs of life- boat and line-throwing equipment, and the ever-important question of signals. A most interesting item was the showing of a film of a model life- boat in broken water, made byProfessor Barrillon, of France. The discussion, which was in English, revealed considerable divergence in practice, but a common aim, the saving of life at sea, and I think we from Great Britain can feel that while we have learnt much, we have also been able to help others engaged in the great task to which we all are dedicated.

The conference was held in the Marine Museum of Gothenburg, and was declared open by Commander William Gibson, the President of the Swedish Society, in the graciouspresence of Their Royal Highnesses the Crown Prince and Princess of Sweden, to whom all delegates were presented. Their Royal Highnesses remained during the discussion of the earlier papers. The chair was taken alternately by Commander Gibson, who is a descendant of a Scottish family which settled in Sweden in the early days of the nineteenth century, and by Director Erik Hagg, representing the Royal Swedish Administration of Pilotage, Light- houses and Buoys. On the first and third days we had a full day's work indoors, broken only by lunch and an inspection of the interesting ex- hibits in the Marine Museum. On the second day we were entertained to lunch by the Royal Gothenburg Yacht Club at Langedrag, where the Swedish motor life-boats Adolf Bratt, Justus A.

Waller, Wilhelm Lundgren and Max Sievert were on view together with the Daniel Denkers, in which Captain Mentz had made the passage from the German coast. This day was the only one of our stay in Sweden when the weather was unkind, and our inspection of these fine boats was curtailed by heavy rain. This, how- ever, did not prevent our technical officers from obtaining a detailed in- sight into Swedish practice in life-boat construction and equipment.

On the last day of the conference a telegram was received from His Majesty the King of Sweden, convey- ing his hearty greetings to all delegates.

A message was also received from the President of the Imperial Life-saving Society of Japan, and a letter was read from Sir George Shee, the late secretary of the Institution, in which he expressed his regret at not being able to accept the invitation of the Swedish Society to be present. At the close of the conference Mr. Colville expressed the thanks of all to the chair- men, the secretary of the conference, and to all who had contributed to make the conference so valuable and enjoyable.

The Crown Prince's Speech.

The hospitality we enjoyed we shall never forget. On the first evening we were entertained at dinner in the beautiful Botanical Garden of Gothen- burg, while on the second we were the guests of the City of Gothenburg at a banquet held in the magnificent rooms of the Exchange Building. This banquet was graced by the presence of Their Royal Highnesses the Crown Prince and Crown Princess. The Lord Lieutenant and members of the City Council also attended, and, besides the conference delegates, the Admiral commanding the United States Naval Squadron, which was paying a visit to the port, and some of his officers, were guests. The Crown Prince's speech, which was in English, was a gracious tribute to the life-boat services of the world, while Commander Gibson, in proposing the toast of the life-boat- men of all nations, recalled the origin of life-boat work in Great Britain, and the name and achievements of Sir William Hillary. Mr. Tegelberg replied for the conference delegates.

After the dinner we enjoyed the singing of the well-known Swedish prima-donna, Mme. Gertrude Palsson- Wettergren, and the local life-boat crew were presented to Their Royal Highnesses, who also graciously spoke to most of the delegates. It was afterwards announced that Commander Gibson had been created a commodore of the Second Class of the Order of Vasa, and that Captain Sten Isbeig, the secretary of the conference, had been made a Knight of the Order of the Polar Star.

Unforgettable Hospitality.

On the second day of the conference the Lord Lieutenant gave a luncheon party to the principal delegates, while on the second evening all were enter- tained at dinner by Mr. Edvard Lithander at the Villa Baidara, on the Island of Marstrand, which lies in the archipelago off the coast. On our last night we were the guests of Commander Gibson at Jonsered Manor, the house built by his Scottish ancestors, standing high above a lake with wooded shores, an un- forgettable sight in the long northern twilight. Swedish hos- pitality must be experienced to be believed.

Our ship sailed from Gothenburg on Saturday, the llth July, and some of us felt that a visit to Sweden would not be complete without a sight of its capital city. By travelling on the night train, we were able to spend a full day in Stockholm, a day we shall never forget. It is a city of lakes, rivers and islands and of glorious buildings—the City Hall is undoubtedly the finest achievement of modern architecture in the world—but, above all, of open water, scintillating in the northern sunshine. There are 12,000 motor boats in Stockholm.

The organization of the conference was excellent. To Captain Sten Isberg, the secretary, and to his numerous band of willing assistants, the greatest credit and the warmest thanks of all delegations are due. The city of Gothenburg, the great west coast port of Sweden, founded by Gustavus Adolphus in 1619, made an ideal setting. Our Swedish hosts were one and all charming, efficient and helpful, and many of us will hope to re-visit their pleasant country, so easily reached by the excellent Swedish Lloyd steamers. Of the value of these con- ferences none can be in doubt. There is much good in an exchange of views on technical matters, and still more in friendly intercourse between the nationals of different countries, divided perhaps by the complex political condi- tions of the modern world, but united in the cause of humanity. Our chair- man, Commander Gibson, struck the true note of the conference when he refused to address the delegates as " foreigners," but chose the word " friends ", and I will conclude with the final words of his address at the close of the conference: " May we succeed, in our future friendly co- operation, in robbing our old friend and enemy, the sea, of some of his peril.".