THE sixth international life-boat con- ference was held at Ostend from July 23rd to the 25th, 1951, on the invita- tion of the Belgian Administration of Marine. M. H. de Vos, the Director General of the Administration, pre- sided. Fifteen other countries sent representatives: Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the United States of America. The Institution was repre- sented by its deputy-chairman, Com- modore the Right Hon. Earl Howe, C.B.E., V.R.D., R.N.V.R., its secre- tary, Colonel A. D. Burnett Brown, O.B.E., M.C., T.D., M.A., its chief inspector, Commander T. G. Michel- more, R.D., R.N.R., and its consulting naval architect, Mr. W. Smart, M.I.N.A. The Ministry of Transport was represented by the chief inspector of H.M. Coastguard, Commander J. H.

Lewty, R.N.

The Conference was opened by M.

P. W. Segers, the Belgian Minister of Communications. Speaking of the special place which the life-boat ser- vices hold in the relations between nation and nation, in our modern world of fierce competition and deep suspicions, he said: "While in other spheres scientists and inventors work too often in secret so as to keep the profit of their science and inventions to themselves or to a very limited number of interested persons, you are acting exactly the opposite way because you are eager to communicate to each other, without any restrictions, the last progress which has been realized to your know- ledge in the ways and means of saving lives and to give the benefit of your experience to everyone." Some prominence in the discussions was given to the very difficult subject, which four years before had been dis- cussed at Oslo, at the first international conference to be held after the war— the protection of life-boats in time of war. It was there agreed that the question should be brought to the notice of any future international con- ference dealing with the protection of hospital ships. This was done, two years later. At the second Geneva Convention of the 12th of August, 1949, provisions were made for theprotection both of life-boats at sea and their stations on shore.

The unification of signals, an im- proved system of wireless communica- tions, increased co-operation between the life-boat services themselves and between rescue services on land, sea and air were discussed; and the tech- nical questions before the conference included helicopters, radar, life-boats built of plastic, and the possibility of increasing the speed of life-boats.

The Institution itself contributed one paper, "Some Notes on the Stability of R.N.L.I. Life-boats," by its consult- ing naval architect, Mr. Smart. Of these, and other papers, and of the discussions which followed, the Belgian Administration of Marine published a full report in English. It was pro- posed that the Institution should act as a distributing centre for information of interest to all life-boat services, and we gladly agreed to do it.

In addition to the conference itself, which held five sessions, M. Vos and his administration had arranged a full and very interesting programme, and very generous hospitality. On the evening of our arrival there was a dinner of welcome; on the first day a luncheon in which the Belgian National Federation of Fishing and the Fish- ing Industry were joint hosts; a visit to the life-boat station at Nieuport, and a dinner in which the Union of Belgian Fishing-boat Owners were joint hosts, the proceedings being enlivened by the use of our hotel as the principal objective for a realistic Commando landing exercise by Belgian troops; on the second day a luncheon and then a visit to Antwerp, where the Mayor held a reception of the delegates at the Town Hall, followed by a dinner; on the third day a visit to the new Dutch motor life-boat Prins Hendrik, an excursion and luncheon on board one of the mail boats of the Dover-Ostend line, and a farewell dinner.

We returned from Ostend very grateful to the Belgian Administration of Marine. We had met again old friends in other life-boat services, dis- cussed both the problems of life-boat work special to the coasts and climate of each country and the problems common to us all, and felt once more .our unity of spirit and aim..