Harry Campion - Career at The Central Statistical Office

Career At The Central Statistical Office

In January 1941, the Central Statistical Office was established to co-ordinate all statistics brought before the War Cabinet and soon after, Campion became its first director. The CSO became established as a permanent feature of government focusing on the development of national income accounts. After the war, Campion was seconded to the United Nations for a year to organise the creation of the United Nations Statistical Office. Following this secondment, Campion returned to the CSO until his retirement in March 1967.

Some of the statistical products which first saw the light of day in the Harry Campion era are:

• Monthly Digest of Statistics, first published in 1946.
• Statistics of Trade Act 1947.
• Standard Industrial Classification, completed in 1947 and introduced in 1948.
• Annual Abstract, first post-war publication at beginning of 1948.
• Index of Industrial Production, first published in February 1948.
• Economic Trends, appeared in November 1953.
• Development of the National Accounts including:

• Employment Policy White Paper, first published in 1946.
• National Income and Expenditure Blue Book, first produced in September 1952.
• Sources and Methods, first edition published in 1956.
• quarterly estimates of national expenditure, first published in 1957.
• constant price estimates, appeared in 1959.
• seasonally adjusted estimates, appeared in 1960.
• quarterly balance of payments estimates and the Balance of Payments Pink Book, first published in 1960.

• Financial Statistics, first appeared in 1962.