[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 203 (Tuesday, October 21, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Page 54604]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-27820]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE


Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

    DOC has submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for 
clearance the following proposal for collection of information under 
the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. chapter 35).
    Agency: Bureau of the Census.
    Title: Annual Commodity Survey Test.
    Form Number(s): MA25Z, MA28X, MA28Z.
    Agency Approval Number: None.
    Type of Request: New collection.
    Burden: 4,380 hours.
    Number of Respondents: 2,900.
    Avg Hours Per Response: 1.5 hours.
    Needs and Uses: The proposed information collection is a test of an 
alternate method of collecting manufacturers' product shipments data. 
Currently, we collect product class shipments from the establishments 
in the Annual Survey of Manufactures (ASM) and product shipments in the 
Census of Manufactures every five years. We also collect product 
shipments for various products from a combination of companies and 
establishments in the Current Industrial Reports (CIR) series. The data 
from the CIR, while quite detailed, do not cover all manufactured 
products. The data from the ASM, while comprehensive, does not provide 
sufficient detail for some users.
    The Census Bureau would like to design a survey that would satisfy 
the need for both comprehensive and more detailed product data. The 
survey would collect detailed product shipments data from a sample of 
all manufacturing companies. The survey would cover all manufacturers' 
products at greater detail than the current ASM but less detail that is 
available in the existing CIR. If it is possible to successfully design 
such a survey, we could reduce the size of the ASM and eliminate much 
of the existing CIR program and divert those resources to the new 
survey.
    Before we give additional consideration to implementation, we are 
planning to test the concept. We plan to select a sample of 
approximately 2,900 companies and ask them to report their company 
level product shipments for data year 1997. We have drafted 
questionnaires and developed reporting instructions. We plan to compare 
the results of this test collection to data from the CIR program and 
the 1997 Census of Manufactures. Those comparisons and the results of 
response follow-up to the test survey should help us determine if this 
type of survey is feasible and likely to produce the results our data 
users need.
    Affected Public: Business or other for-profit.
    Frequency: One-time.
    Respondent's Obligation: Mandatory.
    Legal Authority: Title 13 U.S.C., Section 182.
    OMB Desk Officer: Jerry Coffey, (202) 395-7314.
    Copies of the above information collection proposal can be obtained 
by calling or writing Linda Engelmeier, DOC Forms Clearance Officer, 
(202) 482-3272, Department of Commerce, room 5312, 14th and 
Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20230.
    Written comments and recommendations for the proposed information 
collection should be sent within 30 days of publication of this notice 
to Jerry Coffey, OMB Desk Officer, room 10201, New Executive Office 
Building, Washington, DC 20503.

    Dated: October 15, 1997.
W. Dan Haigler,
Acting Departmental Forms Clearance Officer, Office of Management and 
Organization.
[FR Doc. 97-27820 Filed 10-20-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-07-P