Tins year South Shields, where the first life-boat was built in 1789, cele- brated its centenary as a county borough. As part of the celebrations the Mayor and Mayoress, and members of the Council, went out in the Tyne- mouth life-boat Tynesider.

1iile they were at sea the Mayor spoke through the life-boat's radio telephone (by special arrangement with the Cullercoats Radio Station) to the Lord Mayor of Newcastle. He said: "As the chief citizen of one of the younger members of the community of boroughs which make Tyneside, I would like to send a message of greeting to you, Sir, as the chief citizen of the City of Newcastle- upon-Tyne.

" I am speaking from the Tynesider— three miles off the harbour entrance— the Tynesider being, as you are •well aware, our life-boat in the full implica- tion of the term, in that she represents the whole Port of Tyne.

"I have been invited to sea on this occasion, together with my Council, as part of the celebrations of the centenary of South Shields as a county borough, particularly, as we, in the down-river area, were the first in the world to develop a life-saving service for mariners. In this work we were supported originally by the whole area, and we have lived to see Tyneside ideas in this respect, adopted by the whole world." The I,oi-d Mayor Newcastle replied: "Thank you, Mr. Mayor, for your kind greeting on this historic occasion.

As you say, the river Tyne was the birthplace of the Life-boat Service, and the fact that I am able to. speak to you by radio-telephone from my room at the Town Hall to the Tynesider out at sea is evidence of the tremendous progress made in the service, keeping pace with scientific development.

"May I take this opportunity, as Lord Mayor, of congratulating your town on the centenary of its incorpora- tion as a county borough, of the cele- bration of which our conversation is a part." The Mayor of South Shields also sent messages to the Shields Gazette and the Newcastle-on-Tyne Evening Chronicle, which they published, on the part which South Shields had played in the Life-boat Service. He concluded: "I send my warmest greetings to this noble and humane Institution, together with my admiration of its magnificent work. May it long continue.".