BRITISH AND FOREIGN SAILORS' SOCIETY.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 16964, 28 March 1917, Page 8

BRITISH AND FOREIGN SAILORS' SOCIETY.

FIRST ANNUAL MEETING. The first annual meeting of tho British and foreign Sailors' Society was hold in tho bai ore Rest last night. Mr A. 11. IleyCO rj»i' P rcs;ac< l over a fair attendance. J lie annual report contained the first yearly account of tho work as carried on under tho now management. During the year the honorary missioner (Mr W. i! up a an) devoted himself with great y.eal and self-sacrifice to work among tho sea--I,'e - _ reports that during tho year about 70 oversea vessels have arrived in our port, and that from them some 1800 T'i mlCn lavo attended eervioes at the rest. About 25 of tho men have professed convorsion, and many of theso havo 'kept up corresi>on<!en('-o with the workers. Four Chineso ships visited the port, and their crews were dealt with by two local Chineso Christians, Matthew Ching Hoy and Joe Say, members of tho Rev. A. Don's class. Through the kindness of various friends, tho society has furnished magazines and other wholesome reading material to most of the ships. Tho society accords warm thanks to all tho helpers -who havo been most closely associated with the missioner in his excellent work. The revenue has been £111 0s lid, and the expenditure £93 2s lOd. leaving a credit balance of £17 18s Id'. The society leels that tho time will soon como when tho entiro time of a missioner will bo required, and an adequate salary will need to bo provided for him. When 'bis is dono it is estimated that an annual income of at least £350 will be necessary, and it is believed that the friends interested in the beneficent work will furn.sh that amount. The committee feels that the present building is wliolly inadequate for tho work, but considers that the present is an inopportune time lor launching a building funu appeal. When tile war is over, and shipping resumes its normal condition, tho society will be justified in appealing to a generous public to contribute tile ,ii. .ant required for the erection of a wortuier building in which the work may bo more efficiently carried on.

The Chairman, in moving the adoption of the report, referred to the earliest commencement of the Sailors' Rest Mission b\ the late Mr A. 11. Falconer in Port Chalmers in 18/1. Tlie Sailors' Rest was built in Port Chalmers in lßal, aud in 1887 the Women's Christian Temperance Union had tho rest erected in Dunedin and got MiFalconer to tako charge of it. In view of tho difficulties that had boon encountered this year they could consider the report very gratifying, and favourable. Tho Rev. G. Hoignway seconded the motion. It was a grand thing, he said, to have a noblo past history to look back upon, but it was a still grander thing to set about writing still better chapters in the future. Tho report was adopted. Tho balance sheet, presented by the treasurer (Mr E: Wood), was also adopted, As a shipping man, Mr Wood said he would liko to 1 bring before them two aspects of a .sailor's life. Tho first was tho great spiritual need of sailors. For some reason when men got out of sight of' land they seemed to get further away from God also. Shipboard life seemed to have peculiar temptations oven for passengers and much more for the stokers and firemen. We were still the greatest mercantile power in tho world, and l our flag floated in every sea. When this vast service was even slightly interrupted the greatest, brains in the nation had to busy themselves to avert starvation. It was a debt one owed these seamen that tho work of tho rest should not only bo kept going, but extended for thoir help and comfort. *

The Rev. Gray Dixon moved a motion expressing the thanks of the society to God for His blessing to all who by their personal sen-ice or their contributions of money had so materially assisted the work accomplished, and commending the work of the society in its endeavour to meet the needs of our seamen to thp generous sympathy and help of the conimunitv who owed so much to men of the mercantile marine ar> well as of the navv. Mr Dixon paid a high tribute to the work of Mr Buchan, the society's evangelist. Sneak-'rar of the British rfod Foreign Sailors' Society, he said it was founded 99 years ago, arid had 100 different agencies all through the world. Ho went on to refer to what the parent society had accomplished for victims of submarine frightfulness and in providing for the wellbeing of sailors in many ways and on a verv extensive scale.

Mr C. Darling, who seconded the motion, referred in impressive terms to the debt of the nation to the mercantile marine, without which the nation could not exist. The was adopted.

Mr N. Paterson suggested that it misht bo wise at tho present time to launch u forward movement to secure a more adequate buildinpr for the society's work. Mr IT. Mitchell was re-appointed auditor.