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EQBT SEAMEN'S
MISSION. ?'
ANNUAL MEETING.
Ite annual meeting of the Port Adelaide
Seamen's Mission was held at the Port
Adelaide Town Hall on Tuesday evening.
Mr. W. Herbert PhilliDUi (life President)
occupied the chair, and there was a large
attendance. The reports of the Secretary
(Mr. W, lJerry) and of the missionaries
(Messrs. W. E. Hounslow and J. C.
Stanley) showed that the work had been
well maintained, and the increasing atten
dances at the rest and the various meetings
held in connection with the mission was
proof that the policy was laid on broad,
health}', and acceptable lines. Various im-.j
provements had been effected during the
year, but owing to the presence of 'salt
damp' and white ants, an outlay of about
£200 would soon have to be faced. Special,
reference was made to the charitable en
terprise of the Commercial Travellers' ?
Association, from -whom £80 had been re- !
ceived as the result of the last fancy dress
football match, and to the fact that a fur-'
ther remittance of £27 had been forwarded
by the Secretary of the Nelson Centenary.
Fund. It was pleasing to note that King
George had consented to become Patron of
tbe British and Foreign Sailors' Society,
with which the Port Adelaide Mission wtu'
connected. The distribution of tracts and
religious papers for the 12 months had
totalled 12,000, visits had been paid to 2,416
vessels, 203 to ihe sick, 529 to homes, and
US to hospitals. Eighty-six temperance
pledges had been taken, and the letter
writing system had been again largely
availed of. The aggregate attendance at the
various meetings Had been 11,860. Receipts
had totalled £448, and expenditure £416,
and there was a credit balance in the bank -
of £104, compared with £72 last year.
The Chairman, in the course of an inte
resting address, said the mission was
founded in 1879 to hold out a hand of wel
come to every sailor coming to Port Ade- :
laide, irrespective of creed. Letters re
ceived from time to time told of the good
accomplished. Shortly tbey hoped to pro
vide a sailors' dub in connection with the
Rest. An indication of the increased ne
cessity for and demands upon 'the mission
was afforded by the sliipping statistics of
their port. In 1901 the total number of
seamen who had arrived in interstate and
oversea vessels was 56,648; in 1008 tbe ag
gregate had advanced to 71.819; in 1909 it
was 74,232; and the approximate total for
1910 was 76,600/ They had encouraged to
their halls nearly 15,000 men, last year. This
had increased the demands upon their re
sources, and special efforts would be neces
sary to. maintain the recent rate of pro
gress. , ?
In moving the adoption of fhe reports the
Rev. Dr. Bevan said such a mission as this
was repaying only a small parf of the debt
tney owed their sailors in retarn for the
hard, miserable conditions through 'which
they passed. Theirs was a work of caw and
protection from land sharks, fifty times
more vicious and voracious than the eea
type.
The MayorJMri W. T. Rofe) seconded.
— tamed, vocal and instrumental items
were contributed by Misses Berry and
Gonn, and Messrs. A. Nekm and Holt.
Officers elected :— Patron, His Excellency
Sir Day Bosanqoet-. VweiPresidente
Messrs. J. Dunn. J. H. Sinclair, A. S. Neill
C. K. Morris, W. Neill, Dr. P. Bollen. the
Mayor of Port Adelaide, and ibe President
of The Marine Board: 'treasurer. Mr. A.I
W. Brown:. Anditor, sAt.E- N\ Dewhirsf,'.
^Secretary. Mr. W. Berry. A larga-coami--1
ts«^nu.akMPPP»ied, '?*_ ?'- , j
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