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Gisborne Times, Volume XVIII, Issue 1477, 10 June 1905, Page 3

King Dick’s spoeoh at Dunedin was a powerful justification of his polioy. No Government ever attempted so many socialistic experiments for the betterment of the people. And the most significant circumstance of all is that at the end of 12 years of progressive liberalism, the Opposition doesn’t venture to demand the repeal of any of these measures. Mistakes have been made, Jof course, bat the guiding principles were right, and to-day ’ the oolony stands in a sounder position 1 than ever before.—Lanoe. According to mail advices, the Commercial Union Assurance Company paid a final dividend for the year 1904 of 25 per cent., making a total for the twelve months of 45 por cent., against 40 per cent, in 1903, and 40 per cant, in 1902. The balance carried forward was sufficient to pay an interim dividend of 25 per cent, at the usual rate. And yet some people say that the Government should keep dear of a business that can only entail heavy losses 1 A Wellington paper states : The old propheoies of “ galloping to a deficit ” are so completely played out that you never hear of them now. An annual surplus, ever growing bigger, has oeased to bo a phenomenon, and is so completely normal in its incidence that the Government finance is left severely alone. The effort to score points in that direction seems to have been given up as uu enterprise promising about as much glory as Don Quixote’s tiit at the wind-mill. The Wellington Dance states :—Gas shares are readily saloable, but are hard to get. There are buyers in the market for Feilding Gas st 235, Gisborne Gas at £1 15s, Napier Gas at £25., and Hokitika Gas at £3 18s. Wellington Gas finds favor with investors, but lucre are nono obtainable at present market rates. A Wellington journal thus criticises politician who recently visited Gisborne : Little Harry Bedford, M.H.R., sneered at a country meeting the other day, that the chief qualification fur a country member was his ability to get roads and bridges. And, seeing that it is tho chief need in the country, and also that Harry, being a city member, doesn’t have to look after such needs, and also seeing that he is very yonng indeed, and has spent more time in swatting - abstruse subjects than in any thing practical, his sneer doesn’t weigh anything. The member that gets the country roaded and bridged is a fitter man for Parliament than the man who sees a great and good ideal before bim and never helps to its attainment in any other way

than by talking all round it,