HASTINGS.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 46, 18 November 1907, Page 5

HASTINGS.

November 16. ' Painful Accident. Joseph Trask, a.surfaceman in the employ* ment of the Borough Council, had an unpleasant experience;whereby he'nearly, suf< fcred the loss of his sight. . Ho .was engaged pouring boiling tar.into oil: drums in tha Corporation yards, and one of them happened to have a little rain water in tha bottom.'" Tliej'result of tlio"contact of tha boiling tar with.the water was a blow out, the. explosion causing the tar, to .fly upwards, covering the man's face.and clothes. Blinded andslinging.with pain,, tho unfortunate man instinctively staggered backwards, and had the. further.' misfortune to.- stumble,.into a heap of. firewood, and,, in falling, sprained his ankle. He was attended medically, arid it fortunately .proved; that, although the tar had' entered' the left ,cye,. the sight,was not injured in any way. The skin has peeled off;'his -face-in-consequence of tho burns, but his. sprained ankle appears to ,be tho worst feature of. the accident. ■ Tho tar was removed from his face with naphthaline.'

Native Land Court. . ~ •■l'Thb Native Land Court sitting at Hast« ings. has made the orders defining the interest, of,, the ; Crown in .certain'blocks which have, been mder purchase. . On the application of Messrs. Scannell,' Lewis, and J. Sir'Traser, acting on behalf of tho parties interested, the definition of the Crown in< tweets-in- subdivisions of the Waimarama No.,3a,block was adjourned till Wednesday, December 4, at Hastings. Judge Johnson, land' purchase officer, states that tho Crown has acquired "interests totalling 2625 acres. ~- y Waimaririo No. 3a is the block m which Miss Jldincrfzliagon claims an ,i'ritbre'jit v Induding 1 '" I '-"' awards f.'mado. by .the Court .which sat .'in'....'.;;. ])R'cieniber' J lastj the Crown obtairicjf' 1 .' 1 .'";".': clear titles in respect of Okaihau, Waipuki, and Waimarama lands for ' area's aggregating 7401 acres 2 roods .39 perches. Adding the area to which the Crown is entitled in Waimarama No.' 3a, there will bo slightly over 10,000 ■• acres available for settlement purposes in 'the near future. The total area acquired in tho Pukikura cast and west blocks near Te Autc is 2541 acres. The Court opens at Waipawa on November 20/