The Washington herald., 1918-03-28
GUY E. TRIPS
LIFE SKETCHED
Career of Munitions Pro-
duction Expert Told
by Holland.

4 SuJ T. Trlpp VIII hereafter, as lonB
as he lives. possess a military title
70 which he personally Is Indifferent,
but which represents one of the rules
Of the War Department at Washing
ton. He Is Col Tripp and the title
Is given to him by reason Of the fact
>ssat he has been appointed chief of
Ne production division Of the Ordnance
department. That Is at least a quasi
nihtary office. His responsibility will
consist in supervising and stimulating
me production OF all ordnance sup
plies
Col. Trip Is a master OF all the
processes by means of which produc-
Ion is stimulated to its highest capac-
lty. II was ability OF that kind which
led to his becoming prominently iden-
tned with the Westinghouse Electric
and Manufacturing Company. 1t was
while chairman of the board that he
retired, temporarily at least, having
been lent by the Westinghouse Com
pany to the government, with a lea%e
OF absence which will be continued.
until the war Is ended.
Significant Appointment.
The appointment of Col. Trip to this
important post was, as soon as it was
made known, looked upon by business
men as indicating that important steps
in the reorganization Of the Ordnance
Bureau were about to be taken. 1t Is
as a business man that Cop. Tripp has
been selected for this responsible post,
and it is as a business man that he
has chosen an assistant chief. Waldo
ii. Marshall. who was formerly presi-
dent OF the American Locomotive
Company, and who has been Gssociat-
4
= From the house OF J. P. Morgan
md Company there are now three men
who are prominently Identified with
Z Tesponsible work at Washington. as
sisting the government in war prep
9rations. One of these is Mr.. Stetti-
Aus, who is about to become the
greatest individual buyer the world
aas ever known. Another Is H Z.
DaviSon. who is now preparing to call
upon people for a second subscription
q SlW,OO0,COO for Red Cross work, and
ne third IS Mr.. Marshall.
More and more the government
at Washington is calling into ac-
I'VE service, so to speak, some of
the ablest business forces of the
United States. The presumption is
strong that others may be called
into like service before the sum-
nrer comes.
When George Westinghouse was
living he was accustomed to speak
4 with enthusiasm Of the prospect
for Erelt development of electric
ipdustry in Russia and of the part
tbe Westinghouse Company would
take in that development. 1t was,
regarded almost as trademark
Which represented manufacture and
ETA ATNa ion
Undoubtedly IL was due to the
Westinghouse name in part and
blsO to the careful investigation
which was made by the Russian
government before the Russian rev.
OfutiOn. that led to the placing by
that government with the westing-
house Company of very large con-
tracts for the manufacture.-0fI IBu-
nitiOns- This was the field for
which Mr.. Trip was especially
qualified. He gained experience
which caused him to be considered
one OF the ablest experts in the
manufacture of munitions of all
kinds. He knew how to speed up
production and to do that in such
manner as to make II certain that
the commodities would sustain the
most careful scrutiny before they
were accepted by Russia.
His success in this work was so
great as Inevitably to bring the at
tentiOn of the War Department and
especially the Chief of Ordnance.
Gen. Crozier.- to Mr.. TEjpp. The de-
partment was anxious to have pro-
ductiOn speeded up, and Gen. Croz-
ief was convinced that no man
could better meet the issues of the
depa rtment than Col. Tripp. With
ina few weeks it is probable that
the department. and to some extent
the public. will have visible evil
and authority which Col. Tripp will
exert in the direction of speeding
Sup production Of ordnance.
J. W. Gerard's Book.
In this column announcement
was recently made of the aggre-
ate profit gained by James w.
Gerard on account of the sale of
I,is book. MY Four Years in Ger
man" On what appeared to be ex-
ccIent authority. IL is stated that
Mir. Gerard had already received
$4,000 for the book. and that sum
is presumed to be aside from his
receipts for its sale in serial form.
The book was very hastily written.
In places it seemed almost to have
lacked care and not to suggest ade-
qUatcIy the literary capacity which
has distinguished Mr.. Gerard. But
20 intense is the interest of the
american people in everything that
appertains to the war. and so eager
are they to learn at first hand much
that took place in Germany and
upon the front. that publications
which contain fairly authoritative
descriptions of scenes and incidents
of persons are eagerly read by the
A n1erican people.
1t now appears according to the
understanding of those who are
leaders in the production of moving
pictures that Mr.. Gerard's gains
from the sale of his book are less
than those which he has already
received or is about to receive from
those who have caused the book
10 be adapted to the use of the
fiIms. The report commonly made
is that the negotiation with Mr..
Gerard for film production led to
the payment to him of 100000.
That seems a large sum, but the be-
lief is general that IL Is fully Justi-
hed. for there will be a general de-
nland throughout the country to
see by the eye as they have already
read upon the printed page, the
story of Ambassador Gerard's ex-
perience in Germany. In conserva-
tive publishing circles IL Is the be-
lief that Mr.. Gerard's pecuniary
gains-which are something he
TO write the book-from the sale
he -