When a life-boat bridge tournament was held recently in a Dublin hotel, several supporters extended the scope of it to neighbouring counties by asking friends to play at tables in their houses.

The players at these tables qualified for prizes in the same way as those in the hotel.

* * * Mr. G. Beardmore, honorary secretary of the Cheadle, Staffordshire, branch, and his family run a hardware store in Cheadle. They make no charge for various small repairs they are called upon to do and ask customers to make contributions to the life-boat collecting box on the counter.

* * * At a Christmas fair held in Wakefield, Mr. Etherton, the husband of the guild honorary treasurer, had a number of large flat egg containers painted in different colours. Visitors were allowed to throw three table tennis balls, for which they were charged 6d. If the balls landed in the holes with the correct colour combinations, a prize was awarded.

* * -it- Mrs. L. J. Leeds, honorary secretary of the Halesworth, Suffolk, branch, held a party at her house at which guests were charged a penny to come in, a penny to sit down, a penny to borrow a pencil, etc. All the money was given to the branch funds.

* * -it- Mrs. K. Earle, of Barnet, whose fifteen-year-old son took a holiday job in a wool store for Christmas, suggested to him that he should adopt the principle of giving a tenth of his earnings to some Christian work. She and her husband left it to him to choose his charity, and he chose the Life-boat Service.

* * * Mr. George Cooper, of Hull, recently cashed a savings certificate which he had bought in 1916 for 15/6d, primarily to discover how much interest had accrued in forty-two years. He then sent to the Institution a money order for the total amount received, which was £2 17s. 9d.

Mrs. McGregor Phillips (Dorothy Una Ratcliffe) of 42 Ann Street, Edinburgh, 4, has published privately a beautifully produced book entitled The Sea Microcosm. It consists of travel articles, poems, a one-act play and other writings on the subject of the sea by wellknown authors. There are some delightful illustrations and a facsimile reproduction of Nelson's letter to Lady Hamilton written on board H.M.S.

Victory. The gross proceeds from the sale of the book, which costs 10/-, are being given to the Institution. Mrs.

Phillips will be glad to post up to five copies free of charge to any branch.

* * * At an inn in Attleborough one man recently suggested to another that he should give up drinking beer for three months and bet him that this would cure his indigestion. Each party to the bet pinned a ten shilling note on to an oak beam, where the notes remained for three months. At the end of that period there was a division of opinion about the outcome of the bet, and at the landlord's suggestion the notes were presented to the Institution.

* * * The Bingley ladies' life-boat guild raised £250 in two days of the annual life-boat week through a gift shop.

The proprietor of the shop, Mr. W.

Pratt, a tailor and outfitter, gave up the use of the premises, making no charge for displays, electricity or other services.

Members of the guild arranged for the provision of the gifts, which were bought by the general public.

* * * Mrs. Karlis, a former member of the committee of the Beaconsfield branch, encountered very rough weather while on board a dredger on Lake Ontario during a visit. She made a vow that if she reached shore again she would make a gift of £5 to the Institution, and immediately on returning to Beaconsfield handed over this amount to the branch.

* * * An anonymous gift has been received from a lady in gratitude for an escape from being run over on a zebra crossing..