EDITORS DAILY CRIMSON:- Permit me through your columns to make a statement in defence of the management of your boat club. The writer of the editorial in Saturday's issue of the CRIMSON showed himself woefully ignorant of matters connected with the boat club, and so incompetent to make such a severe criticism of its management. He asks for an itemized account of the sum of $693.48 for wages. Any one acquainted with rowing affairs knows that there is a janitor in the boat-house, a skilled workman, who for years has received as wages $60 a month. Sixty times twelve are 720. The management has saved thirty dollars on that item! A request for an itemized account of subscriptions would have been quite as rational and much more profitable, as it would show how many men fail to subscribe to the crew. Subscriptions fell of $1000 from the amount subscribed in 1885-86.

As to wages for cook and help, $153.- 80 may at first seem a large sum; but when one considers the importance of the cook's position, he practically has the success of the crew in his hands, one would naturally expect that high wages should be paid for a short term of service. It may be well to add that "help" signifies three assistants.

The manager, in stating that the college had taken upon itself the responsibility of the launch, from the hands of a graduate committee, made full explanation for any additional expense in that direction. As regards wages paid the engineer, the writer has made a little mistake in his term of service. If he had put it at three months instead of three weeks, he would have been more nearly correct.

And finally as to boats. Our position last spring in this respect was an unusual one. Without a boat in which we could row a race, still we owed $206 on one that had been bought in 1886. An outcome of our long credit system arising from a lack of proper financial support! The experiment of trying an English boat was thought expedient. It was not safe, however, to trust wholly to an innovation, so a native shell had to be ordered at the same time. This increased expenses, of course, but if the college realized the importance of having a good boat for its crew to sit in, I am sure it would not accuse the management of extravagance in this direction.

To me there seems to be but one item in the treasurer's report which could be really called extravagant. I mean the one for uniforms. These, of course, are unimportant, except in keeping up the esprit de corpo of the crew. I cannot help feeling, however, that the college would be loath to send its crew to New London without them.

Now I should suggest that instead of using your columns as an instrument to persuade men to suspect the boat club and its management, that you should rather appeal to the college through them to give its entire support in a time of sore need, to one of its most popular teams. The boat club cannot exist without finances, and as it cannot support itself as the other associations can, it seems to me that we should use our every effort to help our crew win, rather than by inaccurate and unpatriotic statements help to increase the disadvantages under which it is at present laboring.

A. P. BUTLER.