THE great increase in the number of services since the outbreak of war would make it necessary nearly to double the size of The Life-boat if each quarterly number were to contain accounts of all life-boat services for three months.

If only because of the economy in the use of paper which all have been asked to observe in the national interest, any such enlargement is impossible. Each number must be kept strictly to 48 pages.

To cut down the accounts of all services so as to get them into that space would mean reducing them so severely as largely to destroy their value as records of the work of the life-boats.

It is felt to be better to keep them to the full length and to delay publication.

Accounts of medal services will be published first. Accounts of other services will be published in order of date as promptly as space allows.

There will be one advantage in this delay. It will mean that fuller accounts can be given than would be possible, in the national interest, were they to be published soon after the services took place. In the present number services for two months are published instead of for three..