This is the Year of fhe Census

Firms producing or selling lumber or forest products are taking part in the 1963 Economic Censuses, which cover manufacturers. mineral industries, business and transportation, the Bureau of the Census has announced.

They are taken every five years, and all firms are required to report, under terms of the Census Act. The law provides that information concernins an individual firm must be kept confidential and may be used only for statistical purposes.

The census is being conducted entirely by mail, with forms having gone to large multi-unit firms in mid-November but with the bulk of the forms beine mailed about mid-Janualy. Deadline for filling out and returning the forms is February 29, 1964.

of any contract work, dollar volume of miscellaneous receipts and resales. The form asks each firm to list any products worth $50,000 or more which are not specifically requested on the form.

Wholesaters

Questions included in all wholesalers' forms in the Business Census cover dollar volume of sales to difierent classes of customers, such as retailers, other wholesalers, exporters, etc.; operating expenses and inventories; receivable and bad debt losses; warehouse and other inventory space; type of operation, and sales by commodity lines.

plywood; wood shingles, wood millwork; veneer, other wood products.

Retaiters

Census forms to be filled out by retailers will request more detailed information about various lines of merchandise sold than in previous censuses. Census oficials recognize that many retailers will have to estimate the dollar volume or percentage of sales for individual product lines. Retailers who engage public accountants to fill out their forms should provide their accountants with dollar or percentage figures for each line of merchandise listed on the retailers' forms. Departments or concessions of other firms located in the retailer's establishment are to be reported.

Forms sent to manufacturers include questions on man.hours of production workers during each quarter of 1963; capital expenditures, dollar value of plant invenlories. fuels, electricity and eontract i, work, costs and consumption of principal

'TAANUFACTURERS items of materials, and quantity and value of individual products made. The form also asks for changes in ownership or operation during the year, kind and value

Wholesalers in the lumber industry will receive Form CB-50Q, "Lumber, Construction Materials, and Related Trades." Under "Kind of Business" this form asks them to check which of a dozen or so specific activities was the principal kind of busi. ness of the establishment in 1963. Those connected with lumber are lumber (without yard), lumber (with yard), plywood and millwork (rental or wood).

Commodity lines for which total sales for 1963 are requested include: Logs, piles, pulpwood, poleso posts, stumps. etc.; lumber (softwoods, hardwoods and flooring): floor coverings (hard and soft surface);

Firms that retail lumber will receive Form CB-52A, "Lumber, Building Materials, Hardware." One section of questions requests the respondent firm to "identify itself" as to its principle kind of business. Subdivisions under this section include lumber yards, building materials dealer, lumber wholesaler (without yard), lumber distributor (with yard), lumber millwork plant; millwork, plywood distributor.

A question under merchandise lines seeks information on lumber, millwork, building materials, etc.; plywood; windows (all kinds); kitchen cabinets; all other millwork; wallboards.