AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

Hokitika Guardian, 2 November 1923, Page 4

AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

tUSTRALIAN AND N.Z. CABLE ASSOCIATION. NEW INDUSTRY IN WEST AUSTRALIA. SYDNEY. Oct. 21. A dark day has dawned for the thousands of turtles which waddle about the beaches of the far northwest coast of Australia, with the establishment at Rockingham, near Fremantle. of a factory specially designed for converting them into sundry table delicacies. The supply of turtles is said to he inexhaustible, and they nr, brought down from the north in spec; d enclosures on the decks of coastal vessels. They require no sustenance d.tr ing the trip south, a hosing do-v,-twice daily being quite .sufficient to ensure their arrival at the factory in an unsuspectingly lively frame ot mind At that institution they are beguiled into a False sense of security h.v 1 1 ding themselves once again in th- ir native element—the sea. On the ‘--a frontage of the factory grounds a large pool has been securely enelosi-d. and there they may be semi -w'otming lazily in happy ignorance ol the steaming pots prepared for their reception a couple of hundred ' vds away. The faetoiy has been established bv a Gla-gov firm iindei- ihe name nl Uhelonia Lid.—Cllelonia is the .La-

tin name for a turtle—and there are two local directors at Rerih. Its activities promise to deiuoeraiise the lordly turtle. No longer will it grace ixelusively the banquets ol the great, for it is .announced that the Australian public, when the factory get- into full swing, will he able to regale ilself on turtle soup al a cost no greater than that, at which it now satisfies its requirements in the matter of liovril. To-day a plate of the delicacy costs, in London, nothing under two guineas. Its costliness and exquisite flavour are better renowned than another undoubted qualify that il possesses —its high nourishing and restorative properties—and it is anticipated thill its appearance within the financial arnhi! of ordinary people will result in its extensive use for invalids. The factory at Rockingham will turn out three main commodities—the famous soup itself: a conserve, which is a highly concent rated form of the soup; and an ext rai l to he called Cliclo. specially designed for invalids. There will a!-n be turtle oil, which i- said to pos-ess high medicinal properties. Although for the time being the firm is availing itself of ihe ordinary eoasinA steamship services, it hope- soon to run iis own craft.