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erating as M. M. Cooper & Son. purchased his father's interest in assumed full control.

May 13 of this year, not only marked the 70th birthday for W. E,. Cooper, widely known lumberman, but on that date he also observed the 50th anniversary of his ownership and activity in the lumber business. Born on a farm near Madison, Wisconsin, onMay 13, 1873, William E Cooper began his business career at Merrimac, \Misconsin, where in 1893 he was admitted to a partnership in his father's lumber business, opThe following year, he the business and then

This marked the beginning of many organizations which were destined to cover a wide range of enterprises and it is a noteworthy commentary that while he started in business with only a few hundred dollars of his own, Mr. Cooper's business acumen and energy brought him marked success and recognition. Modestly, however, he invariably says that his success is not due to his own hard and earnest efforts but to the help and cooperation of his loyal associates and employees and the good will of those with whom he has done business.

In 1896 he established a branch yard at Dane, \Misconsin, and in 1900 he became associated with T. J. Hughes of lMales, Wisconsin, and opened a lumber yard at that place. ln lX)Z he purchased yards at Dousman and Nashotah, 'Wisconsin, and about that time he and F. W. Graves organized the Cooper & Graves Lumber Company with yards in Northern Wisconsin and Michigan.

Two years later, leaving the Merrimac yard under tlre supervision of his brother, the late Frank A. Cooper, he moved to Milwaukee and engaged in the wholesale lumber business. Mr. Cooper often relates that all of his calls on his various customers and his many trips to the mills had to be negotiated by train with many attendant inconveniences and long stopovers. However, his company as well as many of the firms from whom he purchased lumber, weathered the depression of those years and are still operating in Wisconsin and Northern Michigan.

Mr. Cooper and Mr. Hughes also became interested in land and real estate and in 1910 and 1911 established the Cooper-Hughes Investment Company and the CooperHughes Land & Lumber Company which corporations still maintain large holdings in the vicinity of Great Falls, Montana.

During these years in Wisconsin, Mr. Cooper became owner or co-owner of many retail lumber yards; among them the Cooper & Utter Lumber Company with yards at Nashotah and Merton, the Delafield Lumber & Fuel Company at Delafield, and the Middleton Lumber Company at Middleton. These yards are now under the supervision of L. E. Utter with the exception of the Middleton yard which is under the direction of A. C. Utter.

In l9I2 Mr. Cooper and his family moved from Milwaukee to California. At that time he was financially interested in fourteen corporations and partnerships, which he had organized, and he had planned to retire from active business. He was much too active, however, and becoming restive started operating in real estate, acquiring extensive holdings, and several of these holdings are still in his possession. In order to have his son, Charles M. Cooper, associated with him in the lumber business. in l9ZO Mr. Cooper organized the W. E. Cooper Lumber Company at 2035 East 15th Street, Los Angeles, specializing in hardwoods and this was one of the largest wholesale yards in Southern California, which company later entered the retail field.

In 1933 the retail and wholesale departments were segregated and the retail yard of W. E. Cooper Lumber Company was moved to 4650 West Pico Boulevard, and placed in charge of his son. The offices of the wholesale division, in June, 1941, were moved to the Richfield Building, in downtown Los Angeles.

Mr. Cooper resides at San Marino and is still active in business, spending a part of each day at his desk. He receives much pleasure in personally calling upon and inspecting the yards of his customers and mill associates. High quality and fair dealing in all transactions have always been his watchword. fn order to furnish his customers with the highest quality lumber, he has always represented only the best mills.

.Possessing a well-rounded personality, always growing in knowledge, in appreciation and in cooperation, Mr. Cooper deservedly is one of the industry's best-known and respected representatives. He is most appreciative and ever ready and willing to give fullest cooperation to his associates and employees, many of whom have organized their own companies and never fail to remember and show their appreciation for the training and experience gained under "'\ry'. E." as he is better known to his many friends.

Mr. Cooper's wide range of activities tend to keep him interested and youthful. Aside from his many interests, he finds time and opportunity to relax at his ranch in the foothills of Altadena. Here he forgets the cares of the day and spends many enjoyable hours in the great outdoors. He makes a specialty of growing rare fris, Camellias and Azaleas and the small canyon is a bower of beauty with its great variety of flowers, plants and trees.

Besides being a true lover of nature, he is a very publicspirited citizen, giving whole-hearted support to every movement calculated to promote the safety or welfare of society as a whole. He is held in the highest esteem by a host of friends who joined in felicitating him upon his 70th birthday and his 50th business anniversary.

Prefiminary Estimate o( California

Lumber Production for 1942

San Francisco, April30-The lumber production of California sawmills in 1942 was 2,322,170,000 board feet according to a preliminary estimate made by the California Forest and Range Experiment Station of the Forest Service in cooperation with the Bureau of the Census, the U. S. Department of Commerce and the War Production Board.

Although hampered by shortage of manpower and equipment and by adverse weather condiiions in the spring, the lumber industry responded to the unprecedented wartime demands for lumber by producing only a fraction less than was sawed in the record year of 194I.

For the State as a whole, with the exception of redwood, Douglas fir and white fir there was a decrease in the cut of all species ranging lrom 2.7 per cent in incense cedar to 19.3 per cent in Sitka spruce. The most outstanding increases were 16.2 per cent for Douglas fir and 30.1 per cent for white fir. The most significant decreases were 3.7 in ponderosa pine and 12.6 in sugar pine.

In the pine region the estimated lumber production in 1942 was 1,730,931,000 board feet or approximately 3 per cent below the 1941 output, due to declines in the cut of ponderosa pine, sugar pine and incense cedar. In the redwood region the estimated production of 591,238,000 board.feet was approximately 9 per cent greater than in 1941 due mainly to the increase in Douglas fir production.

As this statement is based on the cut of 266 out of. an estimated active 314 sawmills in California the final production statistics issued by the Bureau of the Census will be different. The complete preliminary s.tatement will be ready for distribution by the Experimenr Station, Berkeley. within a week.

Appointed Viceg erent Snark

Carl Warden of Warden Bros. Planing Mill, San Francisco, has been appointed Vicegerent Snark of the Concatenated Order of Hoo-Hoo for the San, Francisco Bay district, by Supreme Jabberwock E. S. McBride of Davis. Calif.

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