Industry to Work with Government

WASHINGTON, July 2O.-Possibilities of an important advance in effective statistical cooperation between the government and the great national associations of industry are discloBed in a letter from Wilson Compton, secretary-manager of the National Lumber Manufacturers'Association to the newly established Trade Associations division of the Department of Commerce. Mr. Compton places the whole statistical organization of his Association at the service of the government in such a manner that the public will have all the trade information that the lumber manufacturers eompile for themselves as soon if not sooner than it is avail.able for incliviclual member manufacturers.

The purpose of the National Lumber Manufacturers'Association in thus making available to the government and public without charge a statistical service that has been built up through many years at great cost is two-folcl: (1) To give prompt and conclusive evidence that the subscribers of ihe Association in the collection and dissemination of lumber trade information neither have nor desire any commercial advantages; (2) to pioneer the way for a general exehange of trade association ind.ustrial statistics, through the Department of Commerce, so that it may be possible-to obtain an accurate current record of the industrial activities of Am'erica.

l\{r. Compton's letter gives the Department of Commerce exact information concerning the manner in which the National Lumber Manufacturers' Association collects and distributes lumber trad"e information, rvhich consists of weekly statistics of the softwood lumber movements, giving the produetion, shipments and orders and' changes in- stocks-as ieportecl by eight regional assoeiations, a quarterly graphic Iufober summary and a monthly graphic summary of general business statistics.

"With what I understand. to be the requirembnts for cooperation," the letter continues, "it may be noted that the identity of individual competitors is not disclosed. Indiviclual identities are not shown in any reports to this Association, and it has no information whatever with respect to the produetion, orders, shipments or stocks on hand. of any inclividual sellers or buyers. In the second place this statistical information which is furnished to the members of subscribing associations free of charge, is also furnished. free of charge to a large additional mailing list, and is furnished a press release summarizing statistics of lumber movement for the preceding week. This press release is given as wide distribution as possible, and is available free of charge to &nyone who wiII use it. * * * There are no supplementary data for members only. This information is distributed to members and non-members at exactly the same time. "

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It is the conviction of .the National Lumber Manufacturers' Assoeiation that if the Department of Commerce chooses to act favorably on its offer to complete statistical co-operation with the Government, other great ind.ustrial associations rvill follow suit, with the result that it will be possible to present to the business world. periodically &r &ccurate current statistical picture of the commercial movement of the country. It is hoped that such information, wisell' d.ifrused, will help to avoid the excesses of industrial activity whieh are one of the great contributing eauses to alternating periodical business depressions. at cirst to a number of associations of lumber buyers and lumber sellers, who in turn distribute them to their own members. This refers particularly to the weekly statistics. * * * This information is furnished to the lumber trade press, and each week our publicity department issues