Service Section

Around Sydney Shops

HOME KNITTERS.—There are plen tiful supplies of knitting cotton which is suitable lor women’s and children’s tro pical sweaters. Prices range upwards irom Bd. per oz. for 1 airly coarse yarn.

There is a fine mercerised cotton in a fair range of colours for 1/11 per 2 oz. hank. «hort-sleeved sweaters, for women, take irom eight to 10 oz.

For knitters in those parts of the Pacific where a slight amount of winter is experienced, one Sydney shop has fine English crepe boucle wool at 2/1 per oz.

The price is over twice that of ordinary Australian knitting wool, but it comes m a range of very beautiful colours and knits well. Australian wool of the post war era has a fatal habit of brushing up into a luzz after a few weeks wear.

Eight ounces make a short-sleeved sweater.

FOR MEN.—Since the end of the war there has sprung up, in Sydney, a veri table rash of shops called Disposals Stores. They are generally run by gentle men with strange foreign accents and hooked noses; and they contain a solid conglomeration of clothing, boots and ex- Army equipment from field telephones to tired-looking dixies. Occasionally, how ever, there are items which would be useful to the islands prospector, patrol officer or planter. At present there is a “general release” of oiled-cotfcon, rain proof garments—three-quarter length coats, pants, and a sort of combination cape-sou’wester.

There are also, long slickers in the same material but camouflaged in a fine blend ing of brown and green. At first glance, it might be supposed that they were con structed for an army of hunch-backs, as they have a large hump built into them at the back. After much cogitation, this would-be shopper, came to the conclusion that the hump was there to take care oi the pack on an infantryman’s back. So if you do not mind looking like a camou flaged version of one of the seven dwarfs; or if you are big-hearted enough to want to protect your carrier-line from the rains and vapours of the jungle, you can purchase these garments for the trifling price of 5/- each.

FOR CHILDREN.—AII raincoats for children are extremely scarce; raincoats for wear in the tropics doubly so. There are, however, a few available of rubber ised cotton, light-weight and well-made, in various colours for 27/5 f9r a 22 in. length (and up according to size): Heavy rubberised capes, with hoods, are 13/9 for 24 in. size. Children’s sou’westers, in colours, 5/9.

If you would like vour little girl to look like a film-star’s child, now is your op portunity, and for half the price it would have cost you in the Australian summer. One Sydney emporium is sell ing Kim’s children’s clothes at bargain rates. Kim’s is an American firm which began operations out here after the war.

The designs and materials are American; the workrnanshin is Australian and first class. The dresses are made in some cunning fashion so that they open out flat for ironing and the whole effect can best be described in the American word “cute.” The only catch was the price— about 37/6 for a cotton frock for a three year-old. The same frock now, at this particular store, is 18/- or 20/- according to design. A five-or-six-year-old child can have one for about 28/-.

RAINCOATS—There are a great variety of raincoats for women, and a

great variety of prices. Those suitable lor the tropics are: light-weighted oiled cotton in pink, blue, green, or cream with red design, £2/11/5; Dunlop rubberised rayon linen in various colours, £2/12/-; shower-proof satin, smartly cut and in what are now called “the jewel colours” for £5/9/6. If you want to be very ele gant, there is a black satin number, with a New Look full skirt. This will cost you over £B. If you want to Buy British you can go to almost any lengths for

shower-proof silk—l 2 or 14 guineas.

COTTON FROCKS.—There are many of these about at reasonable prices, In seersuckers and prints they range in price from 25/- to £3 and are very suit able for island day-time wear. Some in stripes (pink and black; yellow and grey, etc.) are a good purchase at 38/-.

Evening Shoes And Bags.—Good

silver and gold kid shoes and bags are back but they are not cheap. Imported English shoes, in good styles are from 66 - to 68/9 for silver kid; and 82/- to 87/9 lor gold. Joyce has an ankle-strap, wedge evening shoe for the young woman, but not, alas, at a young-woman price.

They are 91 3 for gold kid and 71 9 for silver. The same model in black corded silk is only 36 6. Other Australian-made evening shoes range in price from 30upwards and are made in all shapes and sizes to suit all tastes.

Evening bags can cost a few shillings or many pounds. A good little utility evening bag, in a flat, round shape with a zipper opening, can be had in gold or silver for under £l.

GIFT.—If vou want an inexpensive wedding or engagement present that is away from the electroplated butter-dish tradition, there is a wooden savoury holder in Mexican design that might fill the bill. Our Mexican sits with bowed head; his large hat is full of small holes to hold savouries impaled on toothpicks.

The price is 18/-.