$315 Besides Board and Tuition.

(We invite all men in the University to submit communications on subjects of timely interest, but assume no responsibility for sentiments expressed under this head.)

To the Editors of the CRIMSON:

Yesterday the majority of the Boston newspapers appeared with front page stories on the expenses of Harvard students. The information detailed, it was stated, came from an accompanying table of statistics, and this table of statistics had appeared in the recent edition of the Harvard University Register, the Student Council publication. As managing editor of this volume I can say that nothing of this nature was printed in the book.

This table of figures, with the exception of the items for tuition, board, and room rent, however, came from an advertising card which was issued by the business manager of the Register. Having been erroneous in their statement of the source of such "startling information", the papers were also erroneous in failing to state the basis on which those figures were given.

How Figures Were Made.

The business manager with the aid of five or six friends in the Law School, most of whom were graduated from Harvard, attempted to approximate what the average student would spend annually on the enumerated items. Those figures were then multiplied by 5000, approximately the number of men who receive instruction in all schools of the University throughout a year (as was stated on the advertising card).

The thirty-one items gave a total of $1,576,330, or each Harvard student spends annually $315.25 in excess of his tuition, board, and room rent.

If I should follow the policy of the Boston Herald and supply the figures for these three items I should say that the average student spends on these from $500 to $550 a year. Thus to the best of my knowledge the total expenses of the average student are from $815 to $865.  W. S. WITMER 1G.S., Chairman of Register Committee of Student Council.

The Truth in the Figures.

To the Editors of the CRIMSON:

Where in the University Register the editors of certain Boston papers find the authority for the facts and figures published yesterday under the caption "Harvard Men Big Spenders for Luxury" is a problem that is puzzling the editors of the Register today. Neither the editorial board of the Register nor the Student Council has published any such figures in the Harvard University Register either "based upon inside information," or on the "confessions" of their friends.

However, supposing such figures have been estimated by Harvard men and scattered broadcast over Boston, do their totals show sufficient facts for the statement that "Harvard men are big spenders for luxuries," and do they reveal "details that are startling in their suggestiveness"? Let us analyze a few of these details.

The following table shows approximately what each of the 4019 men registered in the University during 1911-12 would have spent for the articles listed, based on the figures published in the Boston Herald, December 13, 1912:

"How Young Harvard Spends His Money."  Total  Average per man (approx.)Tuition,  $750,000  $188Board,  1,600,000  400Room rent,  500,000  125Clothing,  334,250  84Shirts,  65,375  16Underwear,  33,120  8Haberdashery,  45,300  11Rain coats,  18,020  5Hats,  33,430  8Shoes,  43,750  11Trunks and bags,  12,260  3Taxi service,  53,220  14Hotels,  95,800  24Art goods,  12,675  3Books,  71,250  18Cigars and cigarettes,  98,225  25Confectionery,  7,365  2Flowers,  22,240  6Drugs and chemicals,  6,150  2Athletic goods,  38,540  10Garages and repairs,  83,790  21Insurance,  19,250  5Jewelry,  24,165  6Optical goods,  28,260  7Photographs,  32,450  8Piano renting,  11,275  3Restarants,  88,340  22Wines and liquors,  73,500  18Furniture,  85,250  21Laundry,  42,775  11Coal and wood,  26,370  7Tailoring and pressing,  30,485  8Total, exclusive of the first three items,  $1,576,330  $394Grand total,  $4,426,330  $110