Philip Yater, 'age 13, of Staten Island, New York, for his question:

Why are hearing aids so expensive?

Goodness gracious, no American boy who needs a hearing aid should have to worry him¬self about the cost. This problem can be solved for any young person needing help. After¬wards, however, he may wonder how come such a simple looking little gadget cost so much money.

If Andy's average readers have guessed that today's question was asked by a deaft stu¬dent, they are correct. Just a small,percentage of the population has to cope with the problem of deafness or near deafness. But the problem concerns all of us. Naturally we want to contribute our pennies to organizations that help the hard of hearing and naturally we feel like marching in parades to insist that they get all the help they need. There is another side of the problem that concerns all of us. Sooner or later everyone is bound to meet a person who is hard of hearing. We want to know the smooth and easy ways to communi¬cate with the deaf.

The first pointer seems to make. no sense at a11. Lesson number one is "Do not shout." In most cases, it does not. help at all and it may even be dangerous. Aloud shout in the ear may further damage the hearing, or it may injure a hearing°aid    which may or may not be one of those fancy, expensive kinds. So don't holler. And don't start a conversation until you are facing the deaf person and have his or her attention. Most seriously deaf people can read lips. So be sure to pronounce each word distinctly, but keep your chit¬chat at the normal level of polite conversation.

So much for the average reader. Now for the small percentage of readers who have a hearing problem. They may or may not need hearing aids and the hearing aids may or may not be expensive. Certainly no deaf person should decide these matters for himself, any core than he would set a bone if he broke his leg. He goes to an ear doctor or to a svecial clinic. Almost every hearing problem is different and an expert is needed to diagnose it. The doctor may find that the ears are merely clogged with wax. If he detects a more seriaus

problem; he has the knowhow to treat it. He may prescribe a hearing aid. If so, he selects the tight one from all the different models designed for different problems. He also supervises the fitting and helps his patient to adjust to it. A delicate instrument may be tricky and often the patient returns to the clinic for instruction many times.

As a rule, the cost of an article depends upon the work and materials that go into it. When millions are needed, the price goes down. There are many types of hearing aids and the public does not buy them in billions. Most of them are made from simple parts. But skilled and patient work is needed to assemble them. Even so, many hearing aids are not expensive. Some models require more delicate parts, and more specialized workmanship. These models are expensive    but any model that works is priceless to a deaf person.

Naturally, no sensible person will choose a hearing aid in a store or order one to suit himself from an ad. Chances are, he would pick the wrong one for his problem and besides he needs an ear specialist to train him in using it. Perhaps the doctor selects one of the costly models and the family budget happens to be out of cash. Then is the time to pocket your pride and accept help from the rest of us. We gladly give our pennies, remember, for just such emergencies. Your ear doctor will tell you just how to get that oh so expensive hearing aid for next to nothing.