Philip Morris
Fields
- Author
- Hanson, L.G.
- Attendee (Organization)
- Scott Stringfellow
- Va Trust
- Type
- REPT, REPORT, OTHER
- MINU, MINUTES
- Area
- MCADAMS,DIANE/BOARD FILE ROOM
- Attachment
- 2048019960/2048020261
- Request
- Stmn/R1-017
- Named Organization
- Axton Fisher
- Lybrand Ross Bros
- Ny Supreme Court
- PM Board of Directors
- Named Person
- Archbell, J.E.
- Brauburger, G.P.
- Chalkley, O.H.
- Crump, W.W.
- Dashiell, R.G.
- Hanson, L.G.
- Hatcher, W.H.
- Jeffress, R.S.
- Lindsey, J.B.
- Lyon, A.E.
- Mccomas, O.P.
- Parkinson, J.T., J.R.
- Riddell, H.E.
- Rockey, K.H.
- Ryan, W.B., J.R.
- Switzer, J.J.
- Taylor, G.T.
- Hargrove, W.S.
- Markham, O.
- Moss, F.A.
- Robertson, W.S.
- Scott, J.H.
- Sparrow, C.L.
- Master ID
- 2048019960/0261
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1.
Minutes of the Annual Meeting of Stockholders of PHILIP
MORRIS & CO. LTD., INCORPORATED, held on the 8th-day of July, 1947, at
12:00 o'clock Noon, Eastern Standard Time, at the office of the Company,
909 I4:ain Street, Richmond, Virginia.
The Lteeting convened in Room 618. Yr. O.H. Chalkley,
Chairman of the Board of Directors acted as Chairman of the Meeting.
Mr. Chalkley called the hleeting to order and, in the absence of the Secretary
of the Company, Mr. L. G. Hanson was appointed Secretary of the Meeting.
For lack of accouanodations, the I4eeting adjourned to Room 604 Yutual Building,
and those who assembled in Room 618 proceeded to Room 604.where the follawing
were present:
Mr. 0. H. Chalkley, Chairman of the Board
Mr. A. E. Lyon, President
Mr. 0. P. McComas, Vice-President
Mr. L. G. Hanson, Vice-President
Yr. trirt H. Hatcher
Mr. G. P. Brauburger
Mr. Fred A. Lfoss
Mr. W. S. Hargrove
Pl'.r. John B. Lindsey, Virginia Trust Company
Yr. Robert S. Jeffress
Mr. Otto biarkham
Mr. tiY. W. Crump
Adr. R. Grayson Dashiell
Mr. G. Thomas Taylor
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Mr. James H. Scott of Scott & Stringfellow [o
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Mr. r'Yalter S. Robertson of Scott & Stringfellow
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2.
Mr. James T. Parkinson, Jr.
Miss Caroline L. Sparrow
1.42. =1SON: I wish to present to the meeting the Notice of
Meeting, Yanagement Proxy, Proxy Statement and Annual Report, including
financial statements for fiscal year ended March 31, 1947, together with
affidavits of mailing of the Notice of Meeting, Management Proxy, Proxy
Statement and Annual Report, including financial statements to holders of
Common Stock, $5 par value, and of the mailing of the Notice of Meeting,
Proxy Statement and Annual Report, including financial statements, to all
holders of the Cumulative Preferred Stoc k, 4o Series, the Cumulative
Preferred Stock, 3.60o Series, the Common Stock, $10 Par Value, the Fractions
of Common $5 Par Value stock in form of 1,000ths, and the Fractions of Comnon
010 Par Value stock in form of 1,000ths. These were all mailed at least ten
days prior to this meeting.
DdR. CH.ALKLLEY: Will the Secretary file with the minutes of the
meeting copies of the Notice of Pueeting, the Management Proxy, Proxy State-
ment and Annual Report, including Financial Statements, and,the affidavit
of mailing.
The Board of Directors fixed June 9, 1947, as the record date
for the determination of holders of Comnon Stock, $5 Par Value, entitled to
notice of this meeting, and only holders of such stock of record at the
close of business on that date shall be entitled to vote.
MR. BRAtTBURGER: I move the appointment of Mr. R. Grayson
Dashiell and Mr. G. Thomas Taylor as Inspectors of Election.
MR. CITAIXT :Y: I appoint those gentlemen Inspectors of Election.
They will come up and sign the oath.

3.
MR. IiANSON: Are there any holders of Common Stock, $5 Par Value,
appearing in person?
12. BRAUBZJRGER: We have a list of those in attendance at the
meeting.
MR. CIIALKLEY: I announce that a majority of the Common Stock,
$5 Par Value, outstanding is represented at the meeting either in person or
by proxy.
NR. BRABBURGER: I move that the reading of the Minutes of the
Annual Meeting of the Stockholders of the Company, held on July 9, 1946, be
dispensed z,rith.
M. LINIDSEY: I second the motion.
(The motion was unanimously adopted by viva voce vote)
MR. CHALKL,EY: The motion is carried.
Mr. Secretary, will you present to the Inspectors of Election
the list of holders of Common Stock, $5 Par Value, at the close of business on
June 9, 1947?
MR. HANSON: I present herewith copies of the Financial Statements
as of March 31, 1947, of the Company (unconsolidated), the originals of vihich
financial statements were certified to by Messrs. Lybrand, Ross Bros. &
.b;ontgomery, independent certified public accountants. The statements reflect
only the operations of the parent company and the inclusion of the accounts
of the English subsidiary, Philip Morris & Company, Ltd., would make no
significant change in the net results showm.
NR. CHALKLu1'Y: The next business of the meeting is the election
of ten directors in accordance with the by-laws.
MR. BRAtTBURGER: I nominate Messrs. 0. H. Chalkley, A. E. Lyon,
0. P. McComas, J. J. Switzer, L. G. Hanson, W. B. Ryan, Jr., G. P. Brauburger,

a,
K. H. Rockey, H. E. Riddell and J. E. Archbell as directors.
12. CHAhir,LLr'Y: You have heard the motion that has been made.
Do vre have a second to that motion?
MR. HATC=IR: I second it.
12. CHALI=,Y: The minutes of the meetings of the Board of
Directors since the last meeting of stockholders are available for inspection
of any stockholders who v7ish to see them.
We have a report made by Lybrand, Ros s Bros. &' Montgomery,
Certified Public Accountants, outlining the scope of their examination of
the inventories of the Company. If anyone would like to see that, here it
is.
MR. LINDSEY: I would like to ask tivhether the income statements
reflect the operations of Axton-Fisher Company that you took over?
MR. HANSON: Yes. The Axton-Fisher Company now is a dormant
company.
MR. BRAtJBURGER: I might say at that time -,,Te purchased the
assets of the Axton-Fisher Company so that plant is being operated by Philip
Iiorris.
MR. LINDSEY: And operations are reflected in the income state-
ment ?
MR. HANSON: Yes.
MR. CHALKLEY: Gentlemen, Mr. Lyon, our president, has a few
remarks to make.
MR. LYON: Madam and Gentlen3en: You have received your copy
of the Annual Report which gives a complete picture of your Company's
operation but there are a few remarks that I would like to make at this
time.
i

5,
Beginning in 1943, and each year since, in the An.nual Report to
the stockholders, the managenent has reported that a minority stockholders ~
action had been brought against certain present and former officers and
directors of the company. These minority stockholders are owners of record
of an aggregate of 196 shares of Common Stock and 4 shares o f Preferr ed Stock.
The claims made in that suit, allegedly on behalf of the company, were
summarized in the January 1946 prospectus, a copy of which was smt to each
stockholder.
The plaintiffs have made a proposal for the settlement of this
suit, by changing the practice of computing any bonuses which may be earned
in the future as follows:
There shall be excluded from bonusable income any
dividends received by the Company or its subsidiaries and any
profits from the sale of marketable securities.
:~xpenses on issues of capital stock shall be amortized
at 10% per annum ani deducted from bonusable income.
In determining the difference between the interest on.
funded debt at the rate of 7 a per annum and the interest
actually accrued thereon there shall be included in funded
debt an amaunt equal to the average of the balances at the
opening and closing of the fiscal year of bank loans maturirg
within one year.
The aggregate bonus amount so computed is to be reduced
by 010,000.00.
Any rights of the parties to demand payment of their
expenses and counsel fees by the Company are preserved.
The Company therea~on asked the advice of counsel who
stated that in their opinion the law-suit was not justified on the facts;

6.
that the extent to vhich the settlement would benefit the Company, if at all,
was wholly speculative in amount; that prolongation of the suit would of
necessity run up costs; that termination of the suit by settlement would
permit executives to devote to Company affairs an enormous amount of time
and effort vLich othertivise would have to be diverted to defending the suit;
that a settlement at this time would probably save the Company addit ional
expense; that the officers and d irectors, defendants in the suit, should not
accept the settlement on behalf of the Company, but could appropriately join
in submitting the proposed settlement to the Court for a judicial determination
of its fairness and for acceptance or rejection by the Court on behalf of the
Company.
The proposed settlement has been submitted to the Suprean Court
of the State of New York where the suit is pending and has been referred to
a Referee whose report is expected at an early date. However, before the
Court approves the settlement, full information concerning the suit and the
settlement will be made available to the stockholders of the Company and a
formal notice of the time and place of the hearing will be given. Any
stockholder who wishes may come to Court and present his vievis.
The management believes that in so submitting the proposed
settlement to the Court it has acted in the best interests of the stockholders.
I am going to say a few words about the sales of your Company.
I am not going to talk about the tremendous growth that your company had
over the p ast t en years. You ar e wel l acquaint ed rrit h that f act, but I went
to give you a short history.
In our fiscal year ending March 31, 1943, our domestic sales of
Philip Morris were 21.3 billion cigarettes. Our exports that year were 2.7
billion. In our fiscal year ending March, 1944, our domestic sales increased
at an even greater rate than they had in the g eceding year ®nd we delivered

7.
to our customers in the Unit ed States 26-1/2 billion cigarettes. The demands
of the armed forces also were beginning to be felt that
overseas 4.1 billion Philip Tyllorris cigarettes.
year and we sent
During the next year, our t45 fiscal year, ~-rith millions of
men already far from their homes and millions more ready to go, we were facedd
with a problem. Our capacity was about 32 billion cigarettes. We knew that
if we continued to fully supply the demand of our domestic market we would
not be able to send so large a quantity to the men overseas. We may have
been wrong, but we felt that fighting men far from home, wanting American
cigarettes, should be our first concern, and we decided to meet all demands
made on us by the armed forces. The consequence was that in our f45 fiscal
year we were able to deliver to our domestic customers only 21.9 billion
Philip Morris cigarettes, far less than in the year before and less by an
even oreater amount than the demand reported to us by
our distributors, but
this enabled us to send overseas for the armed forces nearly 10 billion Philip
Morris, that is, more than our total sales of Philip Morris cigarettes, both
domestic and export, in 1939, only six years before.
The war ended during our 1946 fiscal year and s:ith it ended the
purchases of the armed forces, so during that year we were able to supply a
larger quantity of Philip Morris to our domestic consumers, the amount
totaling 24.2 billion cigarettes. For export that year we delivered 3.8
billion. Our action in cutting dotiirn on domestic deliveries in the fiscal
year ended in 1945, in order to supply our fighting forces, resulted in a
temporary drop in our domestic business, end we sold in the United States
last year 23.2 billion Philip Morris. To help in the development of our
export market, I travelled abroad and we were successful in selling in the
post-war export market 4.2 billion ci,garettes.
Since that time difficulties of exchange and other problems in

foreign countries with ti~hich you are all familiar have largely cut off this
export market end this year our export sales are about 32% of what they were
last year. However, what is of paramount importance is that our domestic
deliveries of Philip Morris are holding steady in the total and the t rend has
been turned upward. We have, since the start of the present fiscal year,
sold more Philip ~brris cigarettes each month than the month before.
Your Corapanyts financial strength today is greater than at any
time in its past. Our vqorking capital at the end of May was $95,339,546,
more than 15 times our current liabilities and we are able to meet the
increases in our business which we hope to achieve without any additional
permanent financing.
At the present time our bank loans are nil and our inventory
position is such that we can take advantage of any favorable situation in
the tobacco markets.
In order to restore in these highly competitive times our
position in the industry,, we are spending more money on sales promotion than
we did last year. The results to date are very encouraging and I hope that
by the end of the current fiscal year to be able to report to you that the
trend to larger sales of Philip Morris has been maintained and reestablished.
MR. C3ALKLh'Y: Do you have any questions? .
MR. PARKINSON: Do you have the earnings for the three months of
this fiscal year?
MR. LYON: They are not ready yet.
MR. LINDSEY: I would like to know how much your advertising
expenses were in the fiscal year ending in 1947 as compared with the preceding
fiscal year?
MR. LY01T: The first part of the fiscal year?
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8.
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9.
MR. LII,TDS=: I notice the operating earnings :rent up very nicely,
about 25 per cent.
iM. LYOIT: is your questi on the first quarter of the fiscal year
as agai.nst the first quarter of the last fiscal year?
Ia. LINDSEY: Pv:y question was ho,;,r rluch larger were they in the
fiscal year ending March 31, 1947, than in the preceding year?
P,R. 7 AP,SO'd: A.dvert is ing exp ens e fo r t he ye ar e ndino March 31,
1947, v"'6,988,000. For the same period, 1946, it was u6,328,593.
MR. LINDSEY: About $'650,000 more. Do you expect the prices of
leaf tobacco to decline? I notice your Annual Beoort says that the prices
last year were higher than in any of the preceding years.
MR. LYON: Mr. Lindsey, we are hoping that they won't increase.
We believe that they won't increase. Hotiv much lower they will go is difficult
to tell because there is a Government floor under tobacco.
bdR. LINDSEY: But isn't that floor very much lower than the current
market?
12. LYQll: I would say not.
MR. ziATCHSR: The floor that is estimated for the next crop is
around forty cents. The floor last year was about thirty-three or thirty-four
cents, but the bright crop last year sold for 47 cents against a floor of 33.
So no one knows how much above the floor this current crop will sell.
MR. LYON: It is a little early to tell.
MR. HATCHER : The size of the crop and English buying will have
effect on it.
MR. LYON: The Englis hWill cut do ru their buying this year and
a good crop will make more of the bright available for the American market
which may have some effect on the price.
u

MR. LI1tDSRY: I notice in the Annual Report you say that the
tobacco prices are higher than pre-war and labor costs are t;tice as much and
that raised a question in my mind whether your increase in sales price had
been enough to some:^rhat o ffset those.
ER. LYON: Not entirely sufficient but there have been economies
effected which have helped the situation--economies in manufacture.
12. LI-NDSBy: I made some rough figures ~,,rhich showed prior to
the war you were mahino about 61 to 67 cents per 1,000 cigarettes, taking
your net income and dividing by the number of million cigarettes, but last
year it runs about 17 ceits, not taking into account some non-recurring
deductions and credits but it looks like your profit is only about one-third
on the produ ct ion that it was.
M. LYON: It certainly has diminished.
MR. LINDSEY: And I was wondering whether it wasn't feasible for
that selling price to be further raised.
MR. LYON: I don't think that is feasible at the present time
but I am hoping that increased volume might help that situation.
MR. CHALSLEY: Lre there any further questions?
MR. BRAUBURGER: Are the Inspectors ready with their report?
1lR. JEFFRESS: I,,would 1 ike to move that a favor able
expression
of the stockholders be made to the management for the very important advance
made in the Annual Report to the stockh.olders.
MR. CI{[712: I second the motion.
(The motion was adopted by viva voce vote)
DSB. CHALKL..,F'Y: The motion is carried.
ER. DASHIELL: Mr. Chairman, Mr. G. Thomas
Taylor and I report
for the Inspectors of Election that the following directors were elected with
the votes that I call:
1Q,
