THE OBJECTIVES OF THIS STUDY WERE (1) TO DETERMINE THE AVAILABILITY, NATURE, AND RELIABILITY OF DATA ON THE RAPID CHANGE IN THE WAREHOUSING FUNCTION IN INDUSTRY AND (2) TO PROVIDE A BASIS FOR DECISIONS CONCERNING THE DESIRABILITY AND FEASIBILITY OF CONDUCTING SUBSEQUENT STUDIES. THREE MAJOR SOURCES OF INFORMATION ON CALIFORNIA, OREGON, WASHINGTON, HAWAII, AND ALASKA WERE INVESTIGATED--GENERAL LITERATURE, INTERVIEWS WITH KNOWLEDGEABLE PERSONS, AND FIELD STUDIES OF WAREHOUSES. IT WAS CONCLUDED THAT MECHANIZATION OF WAREHOUSING IN THE FIVE-STATE REGION WOULD PROCEED AT A GRADUAL PACE, BUT HISTORICALLY THIS PACE HAD NOT RESULTED IN SIGNIFICANT DISEMPLOYMENT OF THE WAREHOUSE LABOR FORCE. IT WAS RECOMMENDED THAT (1) THE FULL-SCALE NATIONWIDE PHASE II STUDY NOT BE DONE AT THIS TIME, (2) A STUDY BE CONDUCTED WHICH WOULD IDENTIFY RAPIDLY CHANGING WAREHOUSING, MAKE A DEFINITIVE INVENTORY OF CURRENT WAREHOUSING TECHNOLOGY, AND DEVELOP METHODS OF RELATING TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGE TO ITS EFFECTS ON LABOR, (3) AN EXPLORATORY STUDY OF THE APPARENT TREND TO CENTRALIZATION OF WAREHOUSING FUNCTIONS BE CONSIDERED, AND (4) A RECONNAISSANCE STUDY OF THE WAREHOUSE ASPECTS OF THE WHOLESALE AND MULTIPLE OUTLET RETAIL FOOD INDUSTRY BE CONSIDERED. (EM)