DUNEDIN. The annual meeting of the Licensing Bench, under the Licensing Act of 1873, was held at the Resident Magistrate's Court on the 21st. ult Mr. Bathgate occu pied the chair, with .Messrs. Strode, Ful ton, and Mason as Commisioners. The public mustered in unusual torce, the ap proaches to the building being crowded during the entire day. The Chairman, in opening the Court, stated that it wa,s the first licensing under "the new Act of last ."Session, and that most- material al terations had taken place since last year. In future the Licensing Bench should consist of a permanent Court, the Resi dent Magistrate ; being Chairman, with three Oomvnissioifers appointed by the Government. That would be a safeguard i from, —as it had been alleged, whether truthfully or not—the Bench being packed, with a view to swaying the decisions either way! It also now lies in the hands of two-thirds of the residents of a district to memorialise against the granting of any .license. , No license will in future be granted to an unmarried man, the law,as suming that hotels are for- the convenience of travellers, and that no house can be properly managed unless under the super vision of a matron. ' A list of persons I thrice convicted of drunkenness will be made up by the police, and supplied to licensees, and any licensees supplying liquor to confirmed drunkards would have their licenses refused at next appli cation. The other restrictions are of an equally stringent nature.
