The Wellington section of the Rough Riders Contingent were present by invita tion at the first performance of "The Absent-minded Beggar." At the close of the piece the " boys " presented Mr and Mrs Blunil Holt with an illuminated address expressing appreciation of their generosity. Mr Holt at once sent a cheque for £50 to the contingent, to be spent in the purchase of comforts while at the front. A distressing accident happened recently at Greymouth, by which Mr William Fair child, of Marsden, lost a boy about fifteen mouths old. The little toddler was with other children, who were playing about not far from the creek that runs through Mr Fail-hall's property. In the beguile ment of the hour they did not miss the little, fellow, and when they came back to look for him they found him drowned in the creek, and quite beyond all hope ot resuscitation. The other evening a newsboy was calling out in Cathedra! Square, " Truth ! Truth ! latest edition," when a man stopped and asked if there were any news. "Oh! yes," replied the boy, "all the latest news of the war!" " How many men killed ?" "Two or three." The man then said, "It's not worth while buying a paper to see that." The boy looked up into the man's face and replied sarcastically, " Look here, mister, do you want a bloomin' thousand men killed every evening for a penny ?" The Southland farmers are irritated at being compelled to poison rabbits after the opening of the trapping season for the ex port trade. In one case the department poisoned the land of a man who had begun trapping, the farmer following and picking up the poison again. The farmer has ap pealed to the Minister of Lands. In other eases it is alleged that the inspectors in sisted on poisoning after the landowners engaged trappers, who were consequently dismissed. The first of a series of public meetings to secure an amendment of the Act was held at Wyndham on Saturday. The action of the department threatens the export trade. The settlers in and around Waerenpa-o kuri are determined that the two weeds from Te Reinga andFrasertownshall not overrun their district. One,: the Griffin weed, is being most energetically eradicated. 