[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 166 (Monday, August 28, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 44512-44513]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-21267]



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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Bureau of Labor Statistics


Proposed Information Collection Request Submitted for Public 
Comment and Recommendations; Producer Price Indexes, by Industry

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Labor, as part of its continuing effort to 
reduce paperwork and respondent burden, conducts a preclearance 
consultation program to provide the general public and Federal agencies 
with an opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing 
collections of information in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction 
Act of 1995. This program helps to ensure that requested data can be 
provided in the desired format, reporting burden is minimized, 
reporting forms are clearly understood, and the impact of collection 
requirements on respondents can be properly assessed. Currently, the 
Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is soliciting comments concerning a 
proposed revision of the collection, ``Producer Price Indexes, by 
Industry.'' A copy of the proposed information collection request (ICR) 
can be obtained by contacting the individual listed below in the 
address section of this notice.

DATES: Written comments must be submitted on or before October 27, 
1995.

ADDRESSES: Send comments to Karin G. Kurz, BLS Clearance Officer, 
Division of Management Systems, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Room 3255, 
2 Massachusetts Avenue N.E., Washington, DC 20212. For further 
information contact Ms. Kurz on 202-606-7628 (this is not a toll free 
number).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

    The Producer Price Indexes (PPI), which is one of the nation's 
leading economic indicators, is used as a measure of price movements, 
an indicator of inflationary trends in the economy, an inventory 
valuation measure for some organizations, and a measure of purchasing 
power of the dollar at the primary market level. It is also used in 
market research and as a basis for escalation in long-term contracts.

II. Current Actions

    BLS is proposing revisions to PPI disaggregation and resampling 
procedures, and is planning pilot projects to implement electronic 
collection of survey data.
    New Disaggregation Procedures. The purpose of this proposed new 
method is to define a publication structure that is publishable 
virtually in its entirety, meets user needs, is continuous, and permits 
meaningful classification of current production. In order to satisfy 
the publishability of the entire structure, price quotes will be 
collected using a modified first step of disaggregation. Quotes will be 
spread across predetermined product categories which correspond to the 
publication cells for a Standard Industrial Classification (SIC). The 
design of the new disaggregation method provides for collection of 
enough quotes in the smaller publication cells so that they will be 
publishable. The result of the new method will be that there will be a 
smaller number of quotes for the larger cells and a larger number of 
quotes for 

[[Page 44513]]
the smaller cells compared to how quotes would be spread if normal 
disaggregation were used.
    New Resampling Procedures. The purpose of this proposed new 
process, ``recycling without resampling,'' is to allow BLS to update 
the weights and composition of industry indexes without having to 
resample the entire industry. The process will permit BLS to 
accommodate changes in the current SIC structure more efficiently. 
Augmentation sampling of just the additional product line(s) covered by 
the new SIC structure, rather than resampling the entire industry, will 
now be operationally feasible. This capability is a major breakthrough 
and will enable BLS to resample volatile industries more frequently 
while cutting the expenses of data collection.
    Electronic Collection. BLS is planning to conduct several pilot 
projects over the next few years to collect PPI data from survey 
respondents electronically. A range of electronic collection methods 
will be used including collection via facsimile, the Internet, and 
Electronic Data Interchange (EDI).
    Type of Review: Revision.
    Agency: Bureau of Labor Statistics.
    Title: Producer Price Indexes, by Industry.
    OMB Number: 1220-0008.
    Frequency: One-time and monthly.
    Affected Public: Businesses or other for-profit; small businesses 
or organizations; and Federal Government.
    Number of Respondents: 28,700.
    Estimated Time Per Respondent: Initiation--2 Hours; repricing--18 
minutes.
    Total Burden Hours: 347,949 hours.
    Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized 
and/or included in the request for Office of Management and Budget 
approval of the ICR; they also will become a matter of public record.

    Signed at Washington, D.C., this 22nd day of August, 1995.
W. Stuart Rust, Jr.,
Acting Chief, Division of Management Systems, Bureau of Labor 
Statistics.
[FR Doc. 95-21267 Filed 8-25-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-24-M