All Black Declines Offer.

Wairarapa Times-Age, 19 October 1938, Page 4

All Black Declines Offer.

J. L. Sullivan, New Zealand Rugby representative five eight last night confirmed rumours that he had been offered a three years’ contract to play Rugby League for the Bradford Club in England, including an initial pay - ment of £lOOO, the largest sum ever offered to a New Zealander to play in Britain. He announced that he had definitely declined the offer, a New Plymouth Press Association message states. “There are more matters to consider in a proposition of this nature than most people realise,” he said, “and it is because of some of these matters that I am not going.” Sullivan declined to say what the weekly payments offered in the contract amounted to but gave it to be understood that they were very tempting.

Freak Fat Hen Plant.

Nature has been known to play curious tricks at times, resulting in the freak growth of plants. Such appears to have been the case with a fat-hen plant found growing near the Tomoana freezing works, in Hawke’s Bay. recently. With a stem 10ft long and six inches in circumference, a single plant was flourishing in a patch of normal sized plants. At first appearance the stem would appear to be that of gorse or broom but on closer examination it is plain that it. is neither of these. It is obviously an annual growth, and when studied is found to have the'covering identical with that of fat-hen. While the plant has been known to grow to six and seven feet in height, there is no case on record of it having attained such growth as -that at Tomoana. The growth is attributed to abnormal fertility, while the seed apparently found a bed of particularly rich soil.