THE RNLI'S ACCOUNTS for 1975 are not complete at the time of going to press, hut it is certain that expenditure will have exceeded income. In other words there w i l l he a deficit which will have to he made good.

The reason for this deficit is inflation, and not any falling off in support for the RNLI. Contrary to some people's doubts and fears the branches and guilds did not in any way lessen their activities in 1975 following the big drive made throughout the country to raise extra funds for'The Year of the Lifeboat' in 1974. There has been a gratifying increase in money received from legacies, and Shoreline continues to flourish and expand. But with the cost of new lifeboats ranging from £100,000 to over £200,000 a deficit was hardly surprising.

The RNLl's Committee of Management therefore decided on two courses of action. One was to control expenditure more sharply s t i l l , even to the point of slowing down the boat building programme.

The other was to launch a new campaign to obtain new money from from new sources.

Boat building programme In 1970 the RNLI decided to double the rate of its boat building programme.

The aim was to raise the average number of new offshore lifeboats completed in a year from five to ten. When this policy was announced Admiral Sir Wilfrid Woods, who was then the RNLI's chairman, stated unequivocally that it was an act of faith and that there were not the financial resources available to the Institution at that time to ensure the achievement of this programme. So far as the support of the general publicwas concerned this act of faith was justified. What no one could reasonably foresee in 1970 was that the cost of a new lifeboat would be tripled within about five years.

The RNLI has at present eleven newlifeboats under construction which are expected to be completed this year.

This is a rate of building which cannot now be sustained because of inflation, and the RNLI plans to order only two new Rother lifeboats this year. If the financial situation of the Institution improves appreciably the number of new lifeboats w i l l be increased, but in any event 42 new lifeboats will have been completed since 1970, giving an average of seven new lifeboats per year.

When the new boat building programme was announced in 1970 it was stated that the aim was to have a selfrighting fleet of lifeboats by 1980.

Despite the proposed pause in the new construction programme the aim is still likely to be fulfilled because of the number of existing boats in the fleet which will have been modified and altered to give a self-righting capability.

It will still be true to say that, apart from the three Clyde class lifeboats which were never intended to have a self-righting capability, by 1980 all offshore lifeboats in the active fleet w i l l be able to right themselves in the event of a capsize.An outstanding example of support from one of Great Britain's leading companies is the action of British Petroleum in making a covenanted donation of £100,000 to the RNLI towards the cost of a new 54' Anin class lifeboat to be stationed at Aberdeen. She will be called BP Forties.

This news was announced on February 20 by Mr t'raser Cook, BP's chief representative in Scotland, Mr Tony Kirk by. General Manager BP Petroleum Development Ltd. and Sir Charles tcGrigor, Convener of the Scottish Lifeboat Council.

Sir Charles also announced that students at Aberdeen University wotdd he presenting the RNLI with £7,000 to provide electronic equipment for the new lifeboat.New money As part of its drive to raise new money the RNLI organised a series of meetings in November 1975 of a new kind. The Institution's advertising agents, Lintas Ltd, kindly offered the use of a reception room on their premises in which a small exhibition of models of new lifeboats was staged. Small groups of influential people in the City of London were invited and were given an audio-visual presentation of the RNLI's present financial problems. On one evening those present were bankers, on another they were drawn from the oil industry and on another from shipping. Solicitors and trustee bankers, people associated with the RNLl's City of London branch, representatives of overseas interests and the press and television provided the guests on other evenings.

The sympathetic interest shown by all the RNLI guests on these evenings, all of whom were people of standing and authority, was extremely encouraging, and there is already evidence of increased financial support. One example in particular may be cited, although the decision was taken before the meetings held in Lintas House. This was the action of the Board of British Petroleum as reported in the adjacent column.

Other appeals are being made to other sections of the community. It is hoped, too. to increase the interest shown in the work of the RNLI by immigrant communities. Other plans are also under consideration, and the fund raising committee, whose chairman is Admiral Sir Peter Compston. will be glad to learn of any other suggestions for raising new money in new ways.

Storm damage on January night Widespread damage to RNLI installations was caused by the exceptional gales during the weekend of January 2 to 4. On the north-west coast of England the 1LB house at Blackpool was completely demolished. The ILB herself was recovered from the wreckage, and although she was not seriously damaged the boat and engine had to bewithdrawn to the depot and replaced.

The lower section of the lifeboat house doors at Fleetwood was stove in. The Council slipway used to launch the 1LB at Morecambe was completely carried away, but another slipway some 300 yards away was brought into service.

In Wales the boathouse doors at Barmouth were stove in and the ILB house at Aberystwyth lost its roof. On the Isle of Man there was considerable damage to the slipway at Peel and the McLachlan lifeboat was temporarily off service. In the south west of England the worst damage was to the slipway at Weston-super- M are.

A number of places on the east coast of England were also seriously affected, although the early reports in news bulletins that the lifeboat slipway at Wells had been carried away were fortunately incorrect. Some damage was, however, done to the runway outside the boathouse. At Sheringham half theboathouse door was stove in. One boathouse door at Cromer was smashed beyond repair. The boathouse doors at Scarborough also suffered damage.

Reports of lesser damage were received from Aberdovey, Runswick, Seaham and Walton-on-the-Naze.

At the time of going to press the full cost of repairs and restoration is not yet known, but it will clearly be appreciable.

Last depot party The last of the traditional Christmas parties at the RNLI depot in Boreham Wood, when a midday meal is served and some members of the staff volunteer to wait on others, was in certain respects a sad affair. Many of those present, it was known, were unable to make the transfer to Poole for various reasons and others were about to retire. Nevertheless the party revealed once again the close fellowship of this important part of the RNLI.

The Boreham Wood depot was built in 1939, and during the last war it served as the RNLI headquarters. For nearly 40 years the Boreham Wood depot has provided a standard of service to volunteer workers, both those who serve in lifeboats and those who raise funds, in the highest traditions of the RNLI. The tradition, which no doubt the new depot at Poole will sustain, dates back to 1882 when the RNLI opened a store yard at Poplar. In those days the store yard was used both to repair lifeboats and as a base for the RNLI's reserve fleet.

At the lunch some of those present were pensioners who had worked in the store yard before 1939..