INTRODUCTION The 23rd Interstate Conference on Labor Statistics was held June 15-18, 1965, on the campus of the University, Storrs, Connecticut. The Connecticut Labor Department and the University of Connecticut served as cosponsors with the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor. The conference was attended by representatives of 38 States and Canadian Provinces. Delegates included State department of labor administrators, economists and statisticians, representatives of universities, State bureaus of economic security, State workmen's compensation agencies, and officials of labor and business organizations. Department of Labor AID trainees from Algeria, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iraq, Liberia, Pakistan, Panama, South Viet-Nam, Thailand, and United Arab Republic were among the delegates. The major emphasis in this year's program was the statistics needed in community and government cooperation for disadvantaged groups--how State and Federal statistics and research are used in community action programs. One of the highlights was the session on Yardsticks for Counting the Poor, a discussion by governmental and university experts of the level of income to be considered as a base for identifying the number of persons with inadequate incomes. session considered applications of Federal and State research statistics in the administration of poverty programs. The discussion included the research needs of the OEO and Appalachia programs. There was much interest and audience participation in the symposium on the current economic situation and outlook. annual roundtable of developments in State and Federal statistics and research included papers on the program of economic indicators, regional business cycles, and interpreting economic statistics, implications of automation and impacts on employment, labor education programs in universities, and a special analysis of New England collective bargaining agreements. Another highlight was the session on manpower information needed for planning training and education programs. The discussion included U.S. and Canadian experiences and State programs. The Dr. Robert A. Gordon of California presented a most stimulating paper in the final session. He analyzed the economic expansion and persisting unemployment over the last 5 years. After several days of intensive consideration of specific developments and uses of labor statistics, the delegates felt that this excellent analytical treatise on the economic health of the nation was an ideal subject on which to conclude the conference. These proceedings provide a ready reference for those who attended the conference and will be of interest to others working in the field. Walter G. Keim, Executive Director |