owing to absence of a pad, etc. These defects could and should have been noticed by the receptionist, who should not have accepted such instruments for checking.

Certain GKLs do not accept testing charges in cash, and demand that even small sums, for instance, 4 rubles for checking an electricity meter, should be sent by postal order, whereas there exist receipt books whose use up to certain amounts is permitted by the Committee.

Many bureaus lack tables on which the customers could unpack their instruments, dust them arid on receipt repack them. It is wrong for the laboratory to refuse to store crates in which the instruments have been brought.

In many bureaus there is no shelving, no organized system of placing or storing the instruments,

Many reception bureaus will not lend the customers dusters or small tools, such as screwdrivers, hammers, etc. The majority of the reception bureaus do not exhibit the price-list for testing, the conditions on which the instruments are accepted for checking, the opening hours, the manner of payment for checking, the addresses and telephone numbers of instrument-repair organizations, etc. Considerable inconvenience is caused to the customers by the absence of telephones in the reception bureaus.

Many of these shortcomings are due, to a great extent, to the fact that the GKL receptionists lack the re- quired education, are badly acquainted with the instruments, fill incorrectly or untidily the technical question- naires, do not clearly understand the rate of charges for testing. Untrained receptionists cannot ensure an effi- cient storage of instruments, provide the required information to the customer, etc.

It should be noted that certain heads of the GKLs have already started improving the work of their recep- tion bureaus, for instance, by appointing metrologically trained personnel as receptionists, making It possible to entrust them with carrying out certain simple checking in the reception bureau itself. For this purpose several reference scales, a load manometer, etc., are installed in the reception bureaus. This eliminates unnecessary moving of the instruments inside the GKL building, speeds up testing, and makes it possible speedily to return certain instruments after chedctng.

It is the duty of every GKL worker to help improve the work of the reception bureaus, thus helping to raise the reputation of the laboratory. An efficient operation of a reception bureau helps to a considerable extent in raising the productivity of labor and fulfilling the plans of the GKL.

It should always be borne in mind that the work of a state inspection laboratory of measuring equipment begins at the reception bureau.

O R G A N I Z I N G THE P R O D U C T I O N OF TEST SETS

I . M. V e i s a s

Translated from Izmeritel 'naya Tekhnika, No. 12, p. 60, December, 1960

One of the reasons for the low quality of measuring equipment in current use is the lack of test sets. In order to avoid handicraft methods in making test sets specified by appropriate instructions it is advisable to start their centralized manufacture.

In order to exchange experiences gained in this respect conferences of the heads of factory test laboratories in groups of plants should be more widely organized by the GKLs.

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