in the He\ibi!it>^ A\ith N\hich sections of toll eireuit can he transferred 

 from one use to another as occasion requires. 



Construitio)!, Maintenance, an'! Operation 



The advantages of standardization apply to the operating field as 

 well as to the engineering design. Standard construction practices 

 are based upon the use of standard types of construction material all 

 over the country. This standardization of materials makes it possible 

 for the purchasing organization to buy large quantities of a relatively 

 small number of types of material with a resulting saving in cost. 

 Also, the standard construction practices facilitate the training of men 

 and the transfer of men from one part of the System to another wnth 

 shifting needs. 



Similar advantages result from the standardization of maintenance 

 practices. The Bell System maintenance practices make use of the 

 maintenance experiences of the operating companies and of general 

 investigations of the relative advantages of different practices and 

 methods. These practices are generally used throughout the country 

 with advantages from the standpoints both of economy and of service. 

 Men at widely separated points and sometimes employed by different 

 companies can cooperate closely in the maintenance of telephone 

 circuits which have been or may be connected together in the toll 

 service. Also, at times of emergency, men and materials from various 

 parts of the country, wherever available, may be concentrated on the 

 emergency job, and the men, applying standard jnethods to standard 

 materials with which they are familiar, can work most effectively in 

 the quick restoration of service. 



It is perhaps in considering tratitic operation practices that the 

 advantages and, indeed, the necessity of standardization in relation 

 to operation is most evident. The toll operators must constantly 

 deal with other operators in distant cities, and it is obviously essential 

 that the operating practices should be alike in order to avoid extreme 

 difificulties and reaction on the speed and quality of service. The 

 standard Bell System operating practices provide in detail the standard 

 procedures to be followed by operators in handling the various types 

 of toll call and, in general, specify also the phraseology to be used by 

 operators with a view to insuring maximum accuracy, clearness, and 

 convenience to subscribers. 



General 



While, as pointed out in the above paragraphs, standardization in 

 the Bell System is a means of obtaining economy and efificiency, it 

 is more than that. It is essential to the best service and the most rapid 



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