To the editor:

I would like to add to the comments of Richard Hardin (May 22) and George Taylor (June 2) on the costs of college education. In 1936, I was a freshman at Kansas State in the department of mechanical engineering. The total cost for the year was $400 (room, board, books, etc.) Great? Yes. However, I worked for minimum wage of 10 cents per hour drafting. The minimum wage is now 72.5 times that amount. Today’s equivalent cost for college would be $29,000 (72.5 times $400). Scholarships were few and, fortunately, no loans were available.

On my first job after receiving my B.S. degree, I earned a little less than $200 per month. In four years, I advanced to $400 per month. Today’s college students are better off than in the old days!