[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 159 (Wednesday, August 18, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Page 44889]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-21462]


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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: U.S. Census Bureau.
    Title: Annual Survey of Manufactures.
    Form Number(s): MA-1000(L), MA-1000(S).
    Agency Approval Number: 0607-0449.
    Type of Request: Revision of a currently approved collection.
    Burden: 190,080 hours.
    Number of Respondents: 55,000.
    Avg Hours Per Response: Three and a half hours.
    Needs and Uses: The Census Bureau has conducted the Annual Survey 
of Manufactures (ASM) since 1949 to provide key measures of 
manufacturing activity during intercensal periods. In census years 
ending in ``2'' and ``7'', we mail and collect the ASM as part of the 
census of manufactures. This survey is an integral part of the 
Government's statistical program. The ASM furnishes up-to-date 
estimates of employment and payrolls, hours and wages of production 
workers, value added by manufacture, cost of materials, value of 
shipments by product class, inventories, and expenditures for both 
plant and equipment and structures. The survey provides data for most 
of these items for each of the 474 industries as defined in the North 
American Industry Classification System (NAICS). It also provides 
geographic data by state at a more aggregated industry level.
    The survey also provides valuable information to private companies, 
research organizations, and trade associations. Industry makes 
extensive use of the annual figures on product class shipments at the 
U.S. level in its market analysis, product planning, and investment 
planning. The ASM data are used to benchmark and reconcile monthly and 
quarterly data on manufacturing production and inventories.
    The content of the questionnaires for the 1999-2001 ASM is 
identical to the 1998 ASM report forms with the exception of our plans 
to use the ASM to collect some very basic base-line information about 
manufacturers use of e-commerce and e-business. We are still in the 
process of determining whether to include the questions on the bottom 
of the current ASM form or to put them on a separate one-page flier. We 
will make that determination based on how best to reach the appropriate 
respondent and our own internal processing efficiencies. These 
questions will be asked only during the 1999 ASM collection.
    We are also still working on the exact wording and structure of the 
questions. The basic content will not change and is included with this 
submission. We will continue to refine the wording of these questions 
over the next few weeks. We estimate that these questions can be 
completed without referring to company records and can be completed in 
five minutes or less.
    Affected Public: Businesses or other for-profit organizations.
    Frequency: Annually.
    Respondent's Obligation: Mandatory.
    Legal Authority: Title 13 U.S.C., Sections 182, 224, and 225.
    OMB Desk Officer: Linda Hutton, (202) 395-7858.
    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 5033, 14th and 
Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20230 (or via the Internet at 
LE[email protected]).
    Written comments and recommendations for the proposed information 
collection should be sent within 30 days of publication of this notice 
to Linda Hutton, OMB Desk Officer, room 10201, New Executive Office 
Building, Washington, DC 20503.

    Dated: August 13, 1999.
Linda Engelmeier,
Departmental Forms Clearance Officer, Office of the Chief Information 
Officer.
[FR Doc. 99-21462 Filed 8-17-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-07-P