Ness Motley Documents
Summary of Annual Meeting of Stockholders Held at Flemington, New Jersey on Wednesday, April 1, 1964
Fields
- Notes
Produced by: ATC
Affected Defendants: ATC, TII
- Type
- Report
- Characteristic
- Under Protective Order
- Named Person
- Walker, R.
- Hanlon, J.
- Hager, V.
- Janson, A.
- Bowden, A.
- Heimann, R.
- Waterhouse, J.
- Young, W.
- Cunningham, J.
- Findlay, A.
- Hager, J.
- Mooney, E.
- Sparrow, J.
- Strickland, S.
- Turner, G.
- Wilkinson, G.
- Hetsko, C.
- Batzer, R.
- Staub, W.
- Lybrand
- Limited, Gallaher
- Wix, J.
- Market, European Common
- Medical, Nebraska State
- Weybrew, B.
- Gifford, F.
- Team, New York Giant's Football
- Baxalys, O.
- Bowden, A.
- Cunningham, J.
- Findlay, A.
- Hager, J.
- Hager, V.
- Hanmer, H.
- Heimann, R.
- Janson, A.
- Mooney, E.
- Sparrow, J.
- Strickland, S.
- Turner, G.
- Walker, R.
- Waterhouse, J.
- Wilkinson, G.
- Young, W.
- Gilbert, L.
- Gilbert, J.
- Henry, J.
- Treasury, United States
- Ancier, S.
- Applebaum, P.
- Astbury, J.
- Brosnahan, T.
- Maguire, E.
- Moskowitz, S.
- Phillips, S.
- Springle, E.
- Stanton, A.
- Summers, E.
- Szczech, J.
- Valentine, A.
- Willson, F.
- Wolfe, P.
- General, Surgeon
- Abingdon
- Hanlon, J.
- Original File
- TobDocs1
- Named Organization
- Ross Bros. & Montgomery
- AMA
- Public Health Service Committee
- Journal
- Fortune Magazine
- Life Magazine
- Surgeon General's Committee
- The Tobacco Institute
- FTC
- Pennsylvania Journal
- AMA
- Case
- FL-AG
- Site
- Edward Moss request to produce
Document Images
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More than 800 stockholders arrive at the Hunterdon Central High
School near Flemington, N. d., to attend the Company's annual
meeting. Buses zoere used lot those coming [rom New Yorl: City.
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~1!1. ROBERT B. WALKER, President, acted
as Chairman of the meeting and
Mr. John W. Hanlon, Secretary, acted as
Secretary of the meeting. The following
directors who were present were intro-
duced by the Chairman: Virgil D. Hager,
Executive Vice President; A. LeRoy Jan-
son, Executive Vice President; Alfred F.
Bowden, Vice President, and President,
Cigar Division; Robert K. Heimann, Vice
President; Joseph R. Waterhouse, Vice
President and Treasurer; William B.
Young, Vice President; James J. Cun-
ningham, Director of Purchases; A. Gor-
don Findlay, Vice President, Cigar Divi-
sion; John G. Hager, Jr., Vice President,
Cigarette and Tobacco Manufacture;
Eugene F. Mooney, Director of Sales;
John B. Sparrow, Vice President, Ameri-
can Suppliers Division; Silas E. Strlck-
land, Vice President, American Suppliers
Division; George L. Turner, Pre~ident,
American Suppliers Division; and George
A. Wilkinson, Director, Tax Department.
The Chairman also introduced Cyril F.
Hetsko, Chief Counsel; and R. Kirk
Batzer and Walter R. Staub of the firm
of Lybrand, Ross Bros. & Montgom-
ery, the C~mpany's independent public
auditors. Approximately 85% of the total
eligible vote.u were represented at the
meeting. The Chairman reported to the
meeting on the Company's recent prog-
ress and its plans for the future:
Pre~ident'~ Rvpor!
Last year in my first report to you as
President, I began with three statements.
President Robert B. Walker reports on
future plans and 12 major twtions taken by
management during his first year in office.
! said that competition in our busine~
is constant and demanding; that our
market is always changing; and that we
cannot afford to stand still even for a
moment.
As to my first statement-the introduc-
tion of new cigarette brands by our com-
petitors in the last year, with more to
come, makes it clear that competition
in our industry is as demanding as ever.
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As to my second point-the fact of change
in the cigarette market is self-evident to
all of us. Your management views this
change not as a handicap but as an op-
portunity to win new sales. And with
reference to my third statement of last
year, I can assure you that since my first
report to you we have not been standing
still nor have we any intention o! do-
ing so.
Since last April your management has
done these things among others:
I We have achieved national distribu-
tion for MOSVCL~IR Modern Cigarettes
and made this new brand a factor to be
reckoned with in the menthol market.
Last month I informed you, via the An-
nual Report, that MONTCLaIR's unit sales
have been well in excess of expectations
for a new brand,
2 We have brought to market a com-
pletely new and different ty[~ of filter
cigarette, CaRLV0S, with "tar" and nico-
tine content so low that we print test
results on all packs and cartons. CaRL~ON
is another historical "first" for The
American Tobacco Company not only in
respect to its low tar and nicotine deliv-
ery, but also in its use of the unique fla-
vor-filter to enrich the taste.
3 We have spurred TAREYTON sales to
another substantial increase, an increase
gmator in percentage terms than the in-
crease for filter cigarettes as a group.
TAREYTON now has a new advertising
agency, a humorous and effective cam-
paign-which I think is a real "eye-
catcher"-and a new look altogether.
4
I Last year I pledged to you our best
efforts to strengthen the Company's
competitlvc position in the filter and
menthol filter markets While I do not
have final figures Ior March, we estimate
that filter cigarette sales represented
approximately 167; of our total last
month. In March 1963 the percentage
was 11%, So we are moving toward a
better product mix.
5 While broadening our filter cigarette
line we are keeping our strong position in
the nonfilter field. PaLL MaLL is ranked
by independent analysts as the largest-
selling cigarette in the country. LUCKY
STRIKE aCCOUntS for about a third of all
standard size cigarette sale.~. P^I.L MALL
and LUCKY STRIKE, together with the
nonfilter HERBZR'f TaREYTON, give us
more than half of all nonfilter cigarette
sales in the United States.
6 Meanwhile we have not neglected
our other tobacco products. Last August
we appointed a new advertising agency
for all our cigar brands, a move taken to
coordinate and strengthen our cigar pro-
motion activity. More recently we have
created a new Cigar Division, bringing
the manufacture, sales and administra-
tion of our cigar business under a single
head.
You will find in your sampler box today
our new Ro~-TaN Little Cigar which we
announced only a week ago. This is the
first little cigar to be o~lered by a major
cigar manufacturer using an established
brand name, and I am glad this is an
American Tobacco first. The objective of
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Be[ore commencing the meeting's business, stockholders rise and bow their heads in a silent
moment o[ tribute to the late Paul zM. Hahn, President el the Company, 1950 to 1963.
this management is to be first in every
tobacco department, and I can announce
to you today that we will very shortly
offer a series of other product firsts, to be
announced in the next few weeks,
It is not generally realized that we are
one of the nation's largest cigar manu-
lacturers, with a sales volume of more
lhan $50 million a year in this field. In a
sense, our cigar business is a kind of
built-in diversification, and I might add
that we are the only large cigarette
maker with a substantial stake in cigars.
7 In HaLF A~a HALF we have one of
the nation's most important smoking to.
bacco brands. H^Lv ^Na HALF has shown
healthy increases for the last three con-
secutive years and is continuing to climb
in volume, Our efforts in the pipe tobacco
field include not only sales promotion
but also the introduction of new and bet-
ter packaging, and in some cases the re-
designing of labels for greater consumer
appeal. We have recently offered new
and redesigned packages for BLUE BOAR
and Tux~-~, and we are studying other
ways to increase our share of the smok-
ing tobacco market. This too is a form of
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built-in diversification which we are not
neglecting, even though it represents
a small percentage of our total dollar
volume.
8 Sala~ success does not just happen.
It is the end result of many things, be-
ginning with dedicated research and
product development, continuing
through precision manufacture and qual-
ity control, and culminating in effective
marketing. In the last twelve months we
have strengthened our organization in all
three of these important departments.
Our research activities have increased so
much that we will shortly break ground
for a new laboratory building at Rich-
mond, although, as many of you will
recall, we doubled the working area of
research only nine years ago. Our manu-
facturing and leaf department, is phasing
in a new six-million-dollar stemmery at
Reidsville, and a new eight-million-dollar
leaf processing plant at Richmond. Each
of our three filter brands offers a multiple
or compound filter with activated char-
coal; our manufacturing department pio-
neered this difficult departure in cigarette
design and we have a greater production
capacity for this most advanced typo
of cigarette than any other company.
Our marketing operations have been
strengthened by the infusion of new
blood, not only within the Company but
among our advertising agencies.
Some of this activity will not bear full
fruit for some time, but we are sowing
the seeds of progress.
9 I have mentioned the built.in diversi-
fication represented by our various to-
bacco lines, and in view of our strong
financial position I know many of you
are wondering about another kind of
diversification-acquisition of new enter-
prg~s compatible with but supplemen-
tary to our tobacco business. Last year
we engaged in a rigorous study of diversi.
fication po~ibilities. This was conducted
with great care and great intensity.
Participating in this study were the
President and Vice President.s of the
Company, assisted by management com-
mittees, a firm of outside consultant.~,
and our investment banking advisers
from the financial community. We are
not going to rush headlong into the area
of acquisitions merely for the sake of re-
porting that we have diversified. We
want our diversification, when it comes,
to represent financial progress and not a
drag on earnings, and we think that is
what most of our stockholders want. ]
emphasize this becau~ profitable acqui-
sition requires proper timing as well as
careful preparation and careful negotia-
tion. The industrial scene in recent years
provides many examples of ill-timed and
ill-considered acquisitions which have re-
sulted in troublesome divestment rather
than profitable investment. On the other
hand, I am sure that you realize Proposal
Two, on which we will vote today, is tan-
gible evidence of the further steps being
taken by your management in this direc-
tion. One of the imporiant purposes of
Proposal "rwo, as pointed out in the
proxy statement, is to enable the Com-
pany to buy into its treasury its own
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Belore meeting, stockholders view Company displays of advertising and products. Shown
here, Shareholders Grace Weinberg of Kew Gardens and lrvine Friedman o! the Bronx.
common stock and thereby facilitate pos-
sible diversification moves. Here, as in
the field of management, some of the
actions we are taking may not bear im-
mediate fruit. But the absence of dra.
matic announcements does not mean we
are standing still.
10 A good example of profitable invest.
ment is our important stake in the Brit-
ish cigarette market, where your Com-
pany owns 13~. ot the ordinary stock of
Gallaher Limited, a large tobacco manu-
facturer which has an estimated 40% of
that market. Gallahcr last year contrib-
uted $1,357,000 to our earnings.
This represents a handsome return on
investment since our Gallaher holdings
are carried on our books at less than
$5,500,000. This was the amount o! our
original investment in our formcr British
subsidiary, J. Wix, which we built up
over a period of years and which was
exchanged two years ago for Gallaher
stock.
We are now engaged in negotiations
looking toward a foreign acquisition in
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one of the European Common Market
countrie~ Hopefully we may be in a po-
sition to announce such an acquisition
in Europe before next year's stockhold-
ers' meeting-perhaps even before the
year is out. When and if the European
Common Market opens up for interna-
tional commerce in tobacco products, we
hope to be ready with a base of operations
on the Continent. Meanwhile we will be
acquiring manufacturing and marketing
know.how in Europe.
I I I have been attending stockhold-
ers' meetings of The American Tobacco
Company for many years and I realize
that no such meeting can be considered
complete without some mention of out-
side directors. It has long been our con-
viction that a tobacco busine~s is best
run by men who know tobacco best. We
still hold that conviction and our stock-
holders have demonstrated on many oc-
casions that they hold it too.
At the same time, may I recall to you
my promise of last year that we would
certainly propose for election to our
Board outside people qualified to make
a real contribution to its deliberations,
provided we could find such people. Of
course we have the benefit of outside per-
spective supplied by our consultanLq
and agencies in many areas-finance, ac-
counting, legal, marketing, public rela-
tions, and so forth. Nevertheless your
present management is alert to the pos-
sible value of broad outside perspective
at the Board level, and we have made a
diligent search for qualified outsiders to
sit on our Board. I am pleased to an-
nounce to you today that we have made
progress in this direction, and ] believe
our search has been fruitful. We have
two likely candidates under considera.
tion at this time. Two of the pre~nt
members of the Board will retire a few
months hence, and it is our intention to
replace these retirees with outside direc-
tors whom I will nominate at the proper
time.
Accordingly, barring any unforeseen
events or difficulties, I can tell you at
this time that the composition of our
]7-man Board before our next stock-
holders' meeting will include two outside
directors.
Let me make it clear that we do not have
in mind figurehead directors who will
serve as window dressing but working
directors with demonstrated capability
of contributing to our business decisions.
This accords with our view that the func-
tion of the Board of Directors is to ad-
minister corporate affairs for the benefit
of all the stockholders. We do not believe
that any director, whether an operating
executive or a qualified ouL~ider, should
be elected by a minority through cumu-
lative voting. A director so elected might
feel bound to act in what he considers
the interests of a minority, even though
such action might not be in the best in-
terests of the corporation and the stock-
holders as a whole.
We believe factionalism, on the Board
or anywhere else, is not good for the
Company or the stockholders. We be-
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lieve the present method of election, by
the majority, is the best way to avoid this
and therefore we do not agree with the
proponents of cumulative voting.
12 ] will complete this list of major ac-
tions taken by noting that we increased
the dividend.
Last year, in the course of my report to
you, I pointed out that tobacco has a
long and honorable history as a creature
comfort, stretching back many centuries
before Columbus discovered it in this
hemisphere. In fact, the growth of the
tobacco custom has closely paralleled the
rise of civilization itself.
If tobacco's history is long and honor-
able, it has also been marked by periodic
storms, and we are living through such
a storm at present. I believe that the cm'-
rent anti-tobacco storm, like most waves
of hysteria, is motivated in large part by
frustrations of one kind or another.
There is first of all the frustration of
those who are unable to explain certain
With the Company's cigar volume exceeding $50 million per year, Mr. and Mrs. F. T. Foy
o[ Hatboro, Pa., ~'hou' interest in Roi-Tan, La Corona, Antonio y Cleopatra ond Bocl˘ y Ca.
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Sherman M. Ancier Philip Appelbaum
Thomas V. Brosnahan
ailments which have accompanied our
lengthening span of life on earth, and
who see in tobacco a Convenient scape-
goat. Now, as in generations past, there
are those who see in the anti-cigarette
crusade a chance to gain public atten-
tion, or political advantage, or quick sci-
entific notoriety. I cannot tell you that
anti-tobacco propaganda will cease.
In our 1963 Annual Report, which was
sent to you last month, I quoted the re-
cent statements of the Board of Trustees
of the American Medical Association on
the subject of smoking and health. That
body proposed, and the A.M.A. accepted,
a long-term research project because-
and I quote-"Large gaps in knowledge
will remain after the Public Health Serv-
ice Committee reports on the appraisal
of the literature and makes its recom-
mendations." Despite dogmatic charges
about tobacco from some quarters, the
A.M.A. recognized the need to "probe
beyond statistical evidence."
Early this year The American Tobacco
Company and other large tobacco corn-
panics pledged a total of ten million dol-
lars, with no strings attached, to help
finance the A.M.A. study. We have also
pledged to the A.M.A. the full coopera-
tion of our research department, which is
the industry's oldest, dating back to
1911, and which has boon continuously
studying the composition of tobacco and
tobacco smoke for more than 43 years.
As businessmen we might be acctl.e, od of
partiality if we challenged those who
cloak their attacks in the guise of do-
goodism.
So let me quote to you a few statements
and excerpts from neutral sources which
will, I hope, put the exaggerated charges
of the anti-tobacco crusaders in ~me
kind of perspective:
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From the Nebraska State Medical
Journal:
"... Lot us not tell then they are going
to get lung cancer on the basis of ciga.
retie smoking. Such a course might save
us very red faces in the near future."
From an article in Fortune Magazine on
"The Science of Statistics":
"Basic physiological investigations must
now take over. The only way to prove
that smoking causes lung cancer is to per-
form scientific experiments that would
prove the existence of a biological
mechanism."
From a Life Magazine article on the Sur-
geon General's Report:
"The report and its conclusions are al-
ready being challenged by scientists as
eminent as any on the Surgeon Gen-
eral's Committee. These critics.., have
pointed out that the incriminating sta-
tistics have never been backed up by
conclusive laboratory proof-lung cancer
has never been induced in any experi-
mental animal by the inhalation of ciga-
ret smoke alone."
Before we leave this subject, let us look
briefly at the other side of the coin. There
must be very good reason.~-reasons deep-
rooted in human needs and wants-why
65,000,000 Americans, representing more
than half our adult population, smoke
cigarettes regularly. Let me illustrate
this with a little news item which ap-
peared in the press last December. This
item was headlined "Navy's No-Smoking
Test Turns to Ashes in 3 Days." It read
as follows:
"The nerves of 15 sailors ordered to stop
smoking for eight days became so frayed
that the test was halted after three days,
Lewis D. Gilbert
,%muel Go/dbladt
Albert Goldstein
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Navy psychologist Benjamin B. Wey-
brew reported today.
"The smokers in the test got irritable, ate
too much, had trouble sleeping and per-
sonal relationships began to deteriorate.
"Dr. Weybrew said the 'psychological
contagion' spread to nonsmoking sailors
and 'there was a danger of impairing the
efficiency of the crew.' The test was held
aboard the Triton while the nation's
largest nuclear sub was on a six-month
global crui~ in 1960."
Fortunately the great contribution made
by tobacco to our daily lile-which has
always been self-evident to me-is also
self-evident to objective seientists and
medical men. In the Annual Report we
quoted a statement from the American
Medical A.~sociation which is worthy of
repetition here. Said the A.M.A.:
"Since smoking may produce a tranqui-
lizing otlect as well as other favorable
psychic reactions not so well identified,
these factors need further study in evalu-
ating the whole matter..."
I may turn out to be a poor prophet, but
perhaps we may begin to hear more of
the good effects of our product than
some of our anti-tobacco campaigners
would like.
My report to you today would not be
complete without reference to a series of
positive steps the present management
has taken to underline and reaffirm a
policy and position we have always held.
We believe smoking is a form of enjoy-
ment for adults. We have no interest
in promoting tobacco use among young-
12
stem. For many years we have taken
special pains to see that our advertising
copy and our advertising illustrations are
consistent with this position. Early last
June I instructed our sales organization
to discontinue all advertising in college
publications and all campus promotion
so that there could be no possible mis-
understanding of our position either by
the general public or by critics of to-
bacco. Later that month several other
tobacco companies made similar an-
nouncements through The Tobacco
Institute.
In August of last year we terminated the
employment of our last remaining sports
figure as a commercial announcer. We
did this with regret because Frank Gif-
ford, the great halfback oI the New York
Giants Football Team, is a fine young
man. However, we believe it to be in the
best interests of the Company to lean
over backwards, if need be, to demon-
strate that we have no wish to appeal
to youth in our promotion. In that
same month we stated categorically in
Lvcgv SvRIgv. advertising that "smok-
ing is a pleasure meant for adults," and
while our attempt to separate the men
from the boys was criticized by some we
received favorable comment.s from men
of good will who appreciated what we
were trying to do. Three months ago we
announced that we would undertake no
new commitments to sponsor sports pro.
grams on radio and televlsion-again, to
avoid even the appearance of directing
our advertising to minors. I am not going
to criticize an), of our competitors for
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their advertising practices in this area,
but I will say to you that the present
management of The American Tobacco
Company is determined to promote its
brands with clean hands.
As to the immediate state of our busi-
ness, I bring you good news. While our
January dollar sales were down, Febru-
ary sales showed a distinct improvement.
For the first 28 days of March unit ciga-
rette sales, unit cigar sales and consoli-
dated dollar sales were higher than for
the comparable period in 1963. We do not
have final March figures, but it is certain
that dollar sales for the full month will
be substantially higher than March 1963.
Net income figures for the first quarter
will not be available until later this
month. The trend of our business is such,
however, that I would hope and expect
these figures will not be far below last
year's for the same period, even though
our advertising expen.~s in the first quar-
ter of 1964 will be higher than for any
other quarter in the Company's history.
As you know, we are now promoting five
major cigarette brands on a national
basis, as compared with four last year.
One reason for our good showing in this
quarter is the fact that our new
Cigarette is requiring less advertising
expenditure than we had anticipated.
CARLTON was so well received by the
press that a demand for the brand ex-
isted even before we had distribution or
paid advertising. While it would be pre.
mature for me to make any predictions,
it does appear thus far that in CARLTON
We have the right product at, the right
time. It is a product which literally sells
on sight, and in fact our ~lllng theme
for C^RLTON Cigarettes is the simple
Matilda Clickman
Joseph d. Hack
John Campbell Henry
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Edward J. Maguire
I)r. Samuel Moskou,itz
Evelyn Springlc
phrase "See for Yourself."
Ladies and gentlemen, I want to express
on behalf of my associates and myself
our thanks for the very real support and
encouragement we have received from
the stockholders. We have our share of
challenges and problems in this compli-
cated age, and we are doing our best to
meet these problems so as to serve the
best interests of the Company and the
stockholders. We know today's problemg
must be met with hard work. We know
we cannot afford to stand still for a mo-
ment. I assure you we are not going to
stand still-we intend to move forward.
Election of Direclors
The following directors were elected:
Orpheus D. Baxalys, Alfred F. Bowdcn,
James J. Cunningham, A. Gordon Find-
lay, John G. Hager, Jr., Virgil D. Hagcr,
Hiram R. Hanmer, Robert K. Heimann,
A. LeRoy Jan.~on, Eugene F. Mooney,
John B. Sparrow, Silas E. Strickland,
George L. Turner, Robert B. Walker,
Joseph R. Waterhouse, George A. Wil-
kin.qon and William B. Young.
Action on Proposals
Proposal One to elect Lybrand, Ross
Bros. & Montgomery independent audi-
tors for the Company for 1964, recom-
mended by management, was adopted.
29,019,050 votes were east by the stock-
holders "For" and 41,608 "Against" thc
Proposal.
Proposal Two to amend the Certificate
of :Incorporation, recommended by man-
agement, was adopted. 451,609 shares of
preferred stock, being more than two-
thirds in interest of the preferred stock
out-standing, and 20,134,272 shares of
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Adele L. St~nton
common stock, being more than two-
thirds in interest of the common stock
outstanding, were voted "For" Proposal
Two. 1,696 shares of preferred stock and
90,076 shares of common stock were
voted "Against" the Proposal.
Proposal Three to provide for cumulative
voting, introduced by Lewis D. Gilbert,
John J. Gilbert and John Campbell
Henry, was defeated. 25,943,543 votes
were cast "Against" and 1,429,891 "For"
the Proposal, or 5.22~. of the stock voted.
Financial Reports
Mr. Batzer of the firm of Lybrand, Ross
Bros. & Montgomery read to the meet-
ing the report of the independent audi-
tors for the year 1963. The report stated
that, as in prior years, the accountants
had reviewed or tested accounting pro-
cedures and evaluated the systems of
internal control of the Company and its
subsidiaries and that, in their opinion,
the accounting procedures and systems
of internal control are, in all material
respects, adequate and appropriate to
the needs of the business. The report
described the procedures followed by the
accountant~ in substantiating accounts
receivable and inventories, indicating
that (a) tesL~ and reviews were made
as to cash collections recorded in cus-
tomers' accounts which showed that the
Company's customers are paying their
accounts substantially in accordance
with the credit terms granted by the
Company; and (b) inventories were
priced at costs determined by the aver-
aging of the transactions reflected by the
inventories in the accounts and the costs
were computed by procedures consistent
with those employed for man3' years, as
MNAT00415055

PROTECTED BY MINNESOTA TOBACCO LITIGATION PROTECTIVE ORDER
approved by the United States Treasury
for tax purposes.
The Annual Report of the Company's
operations for the year ended Deeember
31, 1963, a copy of which had been mailed
to each stockholder of record, was pre-
sented to the meeting by the Secretary.
Discussion
Sherman M. Ancier, Philip Appelbaum,
John F. Astbury, Thomas V. Brosnahan,
Lewis D. Gilbert, Matilda Glickman,
Samuel Goldbladt, Albert Goldstein,
Joseph J. Hack, John Campbell Henry,
Edward J. Maguire, Dr. Samuel Mosko-
witz, Stella Phillips, Evelyn Springle,
Adele L. Stanton, Eleanor M. Summers,
Joseph W. Szczech, Arthur L. Valen-
tine, Dr. Frederic C, Willson and Paul
D. Wolfe participated in the di~ussion
with questions, comments and sugges-
tions.
In response to questions about the Com-
pany's auditing procedures, Mr. Walkcr
gave the following information to share-
holders. The Company's accounting rec-
ords permit management to make in-
formed decisions. Regarding recommen-
dations made by the independent public
auditors, Mr. Jansen, Executive Vice
President, recalled only one instance, in
over a period of almost thirty years, in
which independent public accountants
recommended a change in our account-
ing procedures. ]n that instance, the
recommendation was examined by man-
agement and the change was instituted
promptly.
16
As to inventory control, Mr. Walker
stated that the Company counts all of
its hogsheads of tobacco at least twice a
year and the independent auditors also
count a substantial portion of the total
inventory.
In a discu~ion on cumulative voting,
Mr. Gilbert stated why he favored it.
Mi~ Stanton spoke against cumulative
voting, while Miss Phillips favored it.
The following is a summary of other
subjects that were brought out in the
general discussion period.
As to directors, the Company's by-laws
provide for regular meetings of the di-
rectors on Tue,~iay of each week; the),
also meet informally each day at lunch-
con, and formal business is usually con-
ducted on the last Tuesday of each
month. Last year there were 16 meetings
of the Board at which formal business
was transacted and at least 9 members
of the Board, usually more, attended
each meeting. Two members of the Board
-John G. Hager, Jr., and Virgil D. Hager
-are brothers.
The Company does not reveal its adver-
tlsing expenditures because of competi-
tive reasons; however, advertising ex-
penses in 1963 were approximately 20%
higher than in 1962. The various media
used by the Company are carefully eval-
uated on a continuing basis. It would not
be useful for the Company to list its tele-
vision shows in the Annual Report be.
cause the television sea~n ends three
months after the Annual Report is i~ued
and new shows are purcha~d which be-
gin in the fall.
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PROTECTED BY MINNESOTA TOBACCO LITIGATION PROTECTIVE ORDER
Arthur L. Valentine
Dr. Samuel Moskowitz stated that the
Federal Trade Commission's attempt to
force cigarette manufacturers to label
their cigarettes as "harmful to health" is
unwarranted.
He emphasized that statistical correla-
tion is not proof of causal relationship
between cigarette smoking and lung
cancer, and said he was astounded that
the Surgeon General and his Advi~ry
Committee were taken in by such
studies. In the absence of laboratory or
other positive evidence, there may be no
relationship between smoking and lung
cancer, he said. Havirig used statistical
calculations in his own work, he realized
that one can pretty much determine
what one wants to prove in advance and
then go ahead and prove it with statistics.
Mr. Gilbert read to the meeting excerpts
from editorials appearing in the Abing-
don, Pennsylvania, Journal of January
Dr. Frederic C. Willson Paul D. Wol[e
23 and 30, 1964, which discussed throat
cancer and noted that man.u-heavy
smokers pass the age of 90 while many
nonsmokers contract throat cancer at
an early age.
The Corapany currently has eight lung
cancer lawsuits pending. One of them is
on appeal to the Supreme Court; lhe
other ~ven are in a pre-trial stage.
Brief di~ussions of Company products
di~losed that the Company packages it.~
filter cigarettes with the filters at the top
of the package becau~ consumer re-
search surveys indicate that this packing
is preferred by most filter smokers.
ROI.TAN is the nation's largest-selling
10˘ cigar and the Company is working to
improve the brand's distribution east of
the Mississippi. First shipments of new
ROI-TAN Little Cigars, with filters, were
made eight to ten days before the meet-
ing. Cigars are profitable to the Company.
17
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PROTECTED BY MINNESOTA TOBACCO LITIGATION PROTECTIVE ORDER
After close of meeting, stockholders rush to
stage to visit Mr. Walker and directors.
18
On leaf tobacco, the Company's inven-
tory was le~s at the end of 1963 than the
end of 1962 partly because the Burley
auction markets closed earlier last year
than usual. Currently, the Company's
leaf tobacco inventory is about the ~mc
or slightly below what it was this time
last year.
Other information given during the dis-
cussion period included: Federal and
other taxes on Company income, as
stated in the Annual Report, amount to
more than 52% because of the inclusion
of state and local taxes; the action at the
meeting on the charter amendment puts
the Company in a position to purcha~
shares of its own common stock and, if it
should decide to do so, purcha~s would
probably be made on the open market;
from the end of 1963 to the date of the
Annual Meeting, the market price of
the Company's common stock increa,~d
by 16%, compared with an average gain
of about 5% for other major tobacco com-
panies, and about 7% in the Dew Jones
Industrial averages; most of the income
received by the Company trom Gallahcr
Ltd. in 1963 was tax free bccau~ British
lax had already been collected on Galls-
her's income. One stockholder expres.scd
objection to use of animals in scientific
experimentation.
During the course of the meeting, and
at its close, several stockholders compli-
mented the Company on its recent prog.
ress and commended the Chairman for
an informative and pleasant meeting.
MNAT00415058

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PROTECTED BY MINNESOTA TOBACCO LITIGATION PROTECTIVE ORDER
y OUR COMPANY'S PRINCIPAL PRODUCTS
which make your dividends possible...
Cigarettes
PALL MALL
LUCKY STRIKE
TAREYTON (with activated charcoal filter)
CARLTON
MONTCLAIR
HERBERT TAREYTON
Cigars
ROI-TAN
ANTONIO v CLEOPATRA
LA CORONA
BOCK v CA.
CABAlqAS
Smoking tobaccos
HALF AND HALF
BLUE BOAR
GENUINE "BULL" DURHAM
150 East 42nd Street, New York, N. ~'. 10017
PrJntcd |n U. S. A.
MNAT00415060
