The Lifeboat

THE LIFEBOAT. The Journal of the Royal National Life-boat Institution. VOL. XrVIII.—No. 302.] JUNE, 1930. 6d. Annual Meeting. THE Hundred and Sixth Annual General lencies the Ambassadors of Germany, Meeting of the Governors of the Institu- Portugal, Belgium and the Argentine ; tion was held at the Caxton Hall, West- the Ministers of Norway, Sweden, minster, on Monday, 7th April, at 3 p.m. Greece, Latvia, Mexico and Siam; The feature of the meeting was the representatives of the Ambassadors of presence of Coxswains from English, Spain, France, United States and Italy ; Scottish, Welsh and Irish Stations to and representatives of the Ministers of receive Silver and Bronze Medals for Esthonia, Bulgaria, Peru, China and gallantry during the gales of last winter. Roumania. Of the seven Medallists, three were from The following Mayors and Mayoresses English Stations : Newhaven (Sussex), accepted the invitation: The Mayors Hythe (Kent) and Dungeness (Kent); and Mayoresses of Fulham, Leyton, two were from an Irish Station: Ros- Lewiaham, Bermondsey, Finsbury, lare Harbour (Co. Wexford) ; one was Greenwich, Acton and Southampton; the from a Scottish Station: Longhope Mayors of Stoke Newington and Chelsea. (Orkneys) ; and one from a Welsh Among others who accepted the Station : Angle (Pembrokeshire). invitation were : Sir Robert Hamilton, Sir Godfrey Baring, Bt., Chairman of M.P. for Orkney and Shetland, and the Committee of Management, pre- Lady Hamilton; Sir George McLaren sided, supported by the Mayoress of Brown, K.B.E., European General Westminster, Vice-Presidents of the Manager of the Canadian Pacific Rail- Institution and Members of the Com- way ; representatives of the Royal mittee of Management. Humane Society, the Shipwrecked The speakers were the Right Hon. Fishermen and Mariners' Royal Bene- William Graham, M.P. (President of volent Society, the Seamen's Hospital, the Board of Trade), Admiral Sir Roger Greenwich, the National Union of Sea- Keyes,- Bt., K.C.B., K.C.V.O., C.M.G., men, the Marine Engineers' Association, D.S.O., D.C.L., His Excellency the the National " Safety First" Asso- Danish Minister (Count Preben Ahle- ciation, the Mercantile Marine Service feldt-Laurvig), The Bishop of Ports- Association, and the Orkney and Shet- mouth (the Right Reverend Ernest land Society in London; an Officer and Neville Lovett, C.B.E., D.D.), Admiral party of fifty boys from the training- of the Fleet Sir Henry F. Oliver, G.C.B., ship Arethuaa, and an Officer and party K.C.M.G., M.V.O., Sir John Cumming, of twenty boys from the training-ship K.C.I.E., C.S.I., the Hon. George Col- Stork. ville (Deputy Chairman of the Com- There were also present Honorary mittee of Management), and Major- Life Governors of the Institution; General the Right Hon. J. E. B. Seely, holders of the Institution's Gold Badge ; C.B., C.M.G., D.S.O. members of the Central London Women'a Among those who accepted the invita- Committee of the Ladies' Life-boat tion of the Committee of Management- Guild, and representatives of Branches were representatives, including the and Guilds. Danish Minister, of twenty foreign The following is a report of the countries. They were: Their Excel- meeting:— 54 THE LIFEBOAT. , 1930. Sir Godfrey Baring. vice 106 years ago. During that time we can The CHAIRMAN : Your Excellencies, my trace a very remarkable record. In a period Lords, Ladies and Gentlemen,—We are privi- of rather more than a century 62,000 lives leged to welcome as our chief speaker this have been saved from shipwreck—(Applause) afternoon the President of the Board of Trade, —and, as these reports properly point out, the the Right Hon. William Graham. (Applause.) lives, in the vast majority of cases, were those He has, unfortunately, to leave this meeting of men engaged in the mercantile marine ser- early owing to the unceasing curiosity of our vice of this country, and therefore engaged in legislators at Westminster. He will have to very important tasks of bringing commodities, go, to be precise, at 3.25. The Royal National raw materials and foodstuffs to these shores, or Life-boat Institution is nothing if not re- in conveying to other shores the goods which sourceful, so we shall adopt on this occasion a this country produces from year to year. novel procedure. I am going to ask Mr. That in itself is a very remarkable record. Graham to be kind enough to move a resolu- Then during the past year, the year which is tion which stands in his name, and then after under review in this Report, 363 lives were he has contributed his much-appreciated quota saved from shipwreck, or almost one per day. •—an expression not unknown to the Bight Hon. A very large proportion were saved by the Life- gentleman, I think (Laughter)—to our meet- boats themselves, the remainder being saved ing, I will then go back to the beginning of the by vessels from the shore. That is again a agenda and we will go on with the rest of the very remarkable record. Apparently very proceedings. I will ask Mr. Graham to address much of that beneficent enterprise was neces- the meeting at once. sary during the exceptional gales of December last year and the early months of the present The Right Hon. William Graham. year. Altogether the past year has added its The EIOHT HON. WILLIAM GBAHAM : Sir quota (if I may use that word which the Chair- Godfrey Baring, your Excellencies, my Lords, man quite properly recalls) to the very great Ladies and Gentlemen,—The resolution which record which the Institution enjoys. (Ap- you have kindly asked me to move this after- plause.) noon is in the following terms : An enterprise of this kind calls, of course, for adaptation from time to time to new " That this Meeting, fully recognising the technical developments for the greater effi- important services of the Royal National ciency of the Service. I understand that from Life-boat Institution in its national work 1908 there has been a process of transforming of life-saving, desires to record its hearty these vessels from rowing or pulling beats to appreciation of the gallantry of the Cox- the new motor type : that even during the dis- swains and Crews of the Institution's Life- location and the crisis of the war this technical boats, and gratefully to acknowledge the development made progress, and that cer- valuable help rendered to the cause by the tainly since 1917 this progress has been Local Committees, Honorary Secretaries accelerated, so that a very large proportion of and Honorary Treasurers." the more than two hundred Life-boats which May I say that I greatly appreciate the are available around these shores are Life- kindly words of introduction of our Chairman boats containing the latest technical and other this afternoon, and especially the kindness of devices for saving life at sea. That itself must your office-bearers in arranging that I may have contributed very largely to the efficiency leave this meeting at an early hour, due, as the of the fleet. Chairman has quite rightly indicated, to the I am also reminded this afternoon that this unceasing calls of Parliamentary duty. effort relates to the saving of life particularly It is, I think, in every way appropriate that among men of our mercantile marine : that is, one who is, for the time being, at the Board of saving the lives of men of wide experience and Trade should attend a meeting of this kind to of great training, indispensable to the com- pay a tribute on behalf of the Government, merce of this country, and indispensable, I and, so far as he can, on behalf of the public, to think we may assert without lack of modesty, the admirable work in which this Institution to the commerce of many other countries, is engaged. (Applause.) The elementary because all commerce is, of course, mutual and figures which lie behind this effort this after- interdependent in character. noon are themselves in many ways impres- This Service is national in its scope. Those sive. We have rather more than 5,000 miles tales of heroism which add lustre to the pages of coast, and in spite of all the vicissitudes of of the Report are not confined to any part of industry and commerce and the depression of these shores. England, Scotland, Wales and recent years, we are still a great maritime Ireland have all made their contribution to country, engaged or interested in the markets deeds which deserve to rank with the proudest which are to be found in every part of the of the efforts which have been made by this world, and therefore dependent to a very Service since its foundation in these islands. large extent on our overseas trade. (Loud applause.) To that enterprise, for more than a hundred Beyond that, this Service is international in years, this Life-boat Service has made its con- character. I think a similar Service has been tribution, and in all the technical documents of established in fifteen other countries. I under- recent times I have found nothing so interest- stand, too, that there is correspondence ing, if I may say so, as that little leaflet which between this country and other countries describes the foundation of the Life-boat Ser- about the Life-boat Service relating to its JUNE, 1930]. THE LIFEBOAT. 55 international co-operation and efficiency, and I had the other day. I met a gentleman who especially to the perfecting of those technical was very hard pressed to give some excuse why and other devices upon which from time to he should not subscribe to the Institution, and time it must rely.

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