Curtis French Jr. age 12, of Chester. Pa., for his question:

HOW TALL IS THE STATUE OF LIBERTY?

America's great Statue of Liberty is currently being refurbished. It stands on Liberty Island at the entrance to New York Harbor. It will be having its new unveiling next year on July 4, 1986.

The Statue of Liberty is one of the largest statues in the world. It rises 305 feet from the bottom of the pedestal to the tip of the torch. The figure alone is 151 feet, one inch high. The right arm is 42 feet long while the hand measures 16 feet, five inches and the index finger measures eight feet in length.

Made of copper and iron, the colossal statue, prior to the refurbishing, weighted 204 tons. Elevators and staircases gave visitors access to the head.

President Grover Cleveland dedicated the Statue of Liberty on October 28, 1886. The work of French sculptor Frederic Bartholdi, the statue was given by the French people to the United States to commemorate the centennial of American independence.

The French people raised funds by popular subscription to pay for the statue while American people raised funds to pay for the pedestal and the cost of erecting the colossus. The American people have raised the money for the refurbishing.