[Federal Register: March 28, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 58)]
[Notices]               
[Page 15614-15615]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr28mr05-30]                         

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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: Monthly Wholesale Trade Survey.
    Form Number(s): SM-42(00).
    Agency Approval Number: 0607-0190.
    Type of Request: Extension of a currently approved collection.
    Burden: 5,600 hours.
    Number of Respondents: 4,000.
    Avg Hours Per Response: 7 minutes.
    Needs and Uses: The U.S. Census Bureau requests a three-year 
extension of the current OMB approval of the

[[Page 15615]]

Monthly Wholesale Trade Survey (MWTS). The MWTS canvasses firms 
primarily engaged in merchant wholesale trade, except manufacturing 
sales branches and offices, that are located in the United States. This 
survey provides the only continuous measures of monthly wholesale 
sales, end-of-month inventories, method of inventory valuation, and 
inventories/sales ratios. The sales and inventory estimates produced 
from the MWTS provide current trends of economic activity by kind of 
business for the United States. Also, the estimates compiled from this 
survey provide valuable information for economic policy decisions by 
the government and are widely used by private businesses, trade 
organizations, professional associations, and other business research 
and analysis organizations.
    The estimates produced by the MWTS are critical to the accurate 
measurement of total economic activity of the United States. The 
estimates of sales made by wholesale locations represent only merchant 
wholesalers, except manufacturing sales branches and offices, who take 
title to goods bought for resale to other companies. Wholesalers 
normally sell to industrial distributors, retail operations, 
cooperatives, and other businesses. The sales estimates include sales 
made on credit as well as on a cash basis, but exclude receipts from 
sales taxes and interest charges from credit sales.
    The estimates of merchandise inventories represent all merchandise 
owned and held in wholesale locations, warehouses, and offices, as well 
as goods owned by wholesalers but held by others for sale on 
consignment, in third-party warehouses, or in transit for distribution 
to wholesale establishments or their customers. The estimates of 
merchandise inventories exclude fixtures and supplies not for resale, 
as well as merchandise held on consignment which are owned by others. 
Inventories are an important component in the Bureau of Economic 
Analysis' (BEA) calculation of the investment portion of the Gross 
Domestic Product (GDP).
    We publish wholesale sales and inventory estimates based on the 
North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) which has been 
widely adopted throughout both the public and private sectors.
    The Census Bureau tabulates the collected data to provide, with 
measurable reliability, statistics on U.S. merchant wholesale, except 
manufacturing sales branches and offices, sales, end-of-month 
inventories, methods of inventory valuation, and inventories/sales 
ratios.
    The BEA is the primary Federal user of data collected in the MWTS. 
The BEA uses this information to prepare the national income and 
product accounts (NIPA), input-output accounts (I-O), and gross 
domestic product (GDP) by industry.
    The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) uses the data as input to its 
Producer Price Indexes and in developing productivity measurements. 
Private businesses use the wholesale sales and inventory data in 
computing business activity indexes. Other government agencies and 
businesses use this information for market research, product 
development, and business planning to gauge the current trends of the 
economy.
    Affected Public: Business or other for-profit.
    Frequency: Monthly.
    Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
    Legal Authority: Title 13 U.S.C. Section 182.
    OMB Desk Officer: Susan Schechter, (202) 395-5103.
    Copies of the above information collection proposal can be obtained 
by calling or writing Diana Hynek, Departmental Paperwork Clearance 
Officer, (202) 482-0266, Department of Commerce, room 6625, 14th and 
Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20230 (or via the Internet at 
dhynek@doc.gov).

    Written comments and recommendations for the proposed information 
collection should be sent within 30 days of publication of this notice 
to Susan Schechter, OMB Desk Officer either by fax (202-395-7245) or e-
mail susan_schechter@omb.eop.gov.

    Dated: March 22, 2005.
Madeleine Clayton,
Management Analyst, Office of the Chief Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 05-5988 Filed 3-25-05; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510-07-P