Evening star., 1935-06-02

Illustration by Harry Burne.
ment in many fields. and this was
found to be true in the case of the
"Boilermakers" from the institution on
the banks of the historic Wabash.
OF the more than 1000 in the seven
classes studied, 48 are in the fields oi
financing and accounting, including
such work as appraising, banking, in
| veStment or statistics analysis.
total of 103 are in executive posts OF
one sort or another, 233 are serving
as construction or maintenance engi-
neers on highways, railroads, with
| conservation departments or in allied
fields, 70 are designers or craftsmen
81 are county agricultural agents, farm
inspectors, field engineers or surveyors
$40 are farm or factory owners
operators or superintendents.
The field of research and develop
ment for educational or commercial
! institutions has in it today $50 OF
these recent graduates from Purdue
while 80 have found places in
laboratories conducted by educational
or commercial institutions. The ranks
of engineering sales and industrial
advertising have attracted 205, while
48 are in retailing or wholesale mer.
| chandising. The fields of teaching
literary or library work have drawr
143 men and 1875 women, with by fal
the larger percentage serving a.
teachers. Thirty-six are serving al
dieticians, bacteriologists. nurses OF
| doctors, and a like number are ir
various executive capacities in reliet
work. The remainder Of the graduates
are enlisted in miscellaneous fields
largely the professional, business, in
dustrial or educational branches.
Rate Of Pay Increased.
What the last few years have done
to salaries is of interest to all-ano
this also is revealed by the timely
study made at Purdue. In 1928 the
average beginning wage of the grad
uate just out of Purdue. including
men and women, was s1,745 a year
and in the Fall Of 1884. despite the
general slump in income. their average
salary had risen to $2,045.
The average starting salary of men
in this group was s1,873, and by the
Autumn Of 1884, despite the depres-
sion, it had reached s2,248 year
For women the average salary upon
graduation was s1,371. BY last Au-
tumn it had dropped to s1,273, due
largely to the reduction in teachers
pay.
In 1929 the average starting salary
of a man just out of Purdue was
81 ,845 per year, but the average wage
for women had dropped to $l,3l5 from
the previous year. making an average
for both groups of S1,715.
Starting in 1880, the annual begin
ming salary for graduates dropped each
year until 1882, when the low point
was reached. That year the average
annual starting salary for all Of the
men graduates was s1,120. but by last
Autumn these salaries had risen to
$1,387. The average for women grad
yates that same year had dropped
from the $1,371 in 1928 to 1858; but
this average had risen to $l,088 by
last Autumn.
Last year the newest group of men
graduating from this Midwestern in
stitution started out at an annual
average salary of $l,225 and the aver
age salary paid the co-eds who were
going out to hold their first positions
was 1898 per year. A number of both
men and women of last years class
reported by October or November sub
stantial wage increases, although not
sufficient to alter appreciably the
average wage rate at the beginning of
their employment. However. the trend
indicated on a majority of the ques-
tionnaires was upward.
A study of the incomes by classes
showed comparatively few of the
earlier classes in the lower salary
brackets, and a proportionately larger
group in the higher lists, while natur-
ally the newer graduates, starting
work with lower salaries, have had to
continue on a lower scale, although
increases we're far more apparent dur
ing 1884 than at any time since 1928
and 1929. Only one Of the 1929 class
had passed into the $10,000-a-year
class, but number were In the $4,000
to $500 year group.
Factors to Be Regarded.
''No attempt has been made to In
terpret the meaning of the facts we
have assembled" said President Elliott
Nevertheless, they stand as factors
not to be disregarded In these days
when the occupations, careers and
opportunities of youth are funda-
mental social as well as difficult educa-
tional problems.
THE extraordinary changes In the
social economy OF the world which
have taken place in recent years have
naturally caused much serious dis
cussion of the wisdom of the estab-
Iished American philosophy Of stim-
ulating an ever-increasing proportion
of young men and women to GEEK the
advantages Of higher education.
Whether this philosophy and these
advantages are sound under the pres
ent order remains 10 be seen.
Meanwhile, the hundred thousand
youths now annually completing the
work of our higher institutions are
entitled to . sensible rather than q