Tobacco Institute
Liggett & Myers Tobacco Company, Inc. 1959 Annual Report
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- 1. Liggett Myers Author
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Liggett & Myers Tobacco Company, Inc.
,
.
s
1959 Annual Report
,rIMN 446189

oFI'rCERS
President & Chicf Erecutire Ofic'er
L:recutire I ice Presi<lent & Secretr.tn
I ice President & Clutirman of Etecutii e Committee
! 'ice Presi!Ient, Sales
I ice President cQ: General Counsel
! ice Presi lent, 1bInuf ccturin.,and Le!rf
Treasurer
Assistant Treasurer
rlssist(4tt Secretaries
WILLIAM A. BLUCNT
ZACH TtJ1IS
WILLIAM L. PERRY
WILLIAM B. LEWIS, JR.
FRANCIS H. HORAN
LUY D. THC)JIPSON
J. BO'V~LI\G ANDERSON
RALPH P. MOORE
RUSSELL _lI. CHENU)XETH
FREDERICK J. GRAEFF
Rt FL'S H. HOSEA
C. GRICE JIc11ULLA:N
CHARLES B. MORGENTHALER
DIRECTORS
Director of Research
Auditor
J. BOWLING ANDERSON
WILLIAM A. BLOUNT
LAWRENCE W. BRUFF
FREDERICK R. DARKIS
MILTON E. HARRINGTON
FRANCIS H. HOR AN
J. C aMDEN HL; NDLEY
GRAYDON B. LEAKE
WILLIAM B. LEXVIS, JR.
WILLIAM L. PERRY
LOY D. THO.lIPS4N
ZACH Tn_lIS
DR. FREDERICK R. DARKIS
RUSSELL G. CUTTER
E.recutice 0(jices
630 FIFTH AVENUE. `F.W YORK 20, N.Y.
Transfer _4gent
CHEMICAL BANK NEW YORK TRUST CO.
30 BROAD STREET, NEW YORK 15, N. Y.
Registrar _--
TI IF: I1RS'1' N.\TIO.NA.L CITY BANK OF NEW YORK
55 \\ \LL STREET, NEW YORK 15, N. Y.
TIMN 446190

Liggett & Myers Tobacco Company I959Annual Report
TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE
2 The President's Letter
4 Highlights of Operations
5 Financial Condition
7 Capital Expenditures
8 Taxes
Leaf Tobacco
Products
Research
Advertising and Promotion
Sales, Earnings, Taxes and Dividends
Disposition of Total Earnings
.,~
Consolidated Balance Sheet
Consolidated Earnings
19 Consolidated Retained Earnings and
Notes to Financial Statements
20 Opinion of Certified Public Accountants
Inside Back Cover Record for Fifteen Years
TIMN 446191
I

To the StockholrleYs :
This 49th Annual Report of Liggett & Myers TObacco Companv presents the opera-
tions and audited financial statements of the Company for the year 1959, ~~ith
comparative fi-gures for the previous year.
Sales «ere just slightly lower in 1959 than in the previous year, accounted for
entirely by the reduced VOIUnIe Of CHESTERFIELD re2ular size cizarettes. While sates
of this brand have followed the recent industry downward trend for re2ular size
non-filter brands, the decline was less in 1959 than in the previous year. Sales of
CHESTERFIELD king size, L & M and OASIS cigarettes continued to show an increase
during the year.
Net earnings for the first nine months of 1959 were approximately 6% higher
than those of the corresponding period of 1958. Fourth quarter earninRs were
adversely affected due to high introductory and sales promotion costs of the new
DUKE OF DURH.avt brand of cigarettes, which was initially introduced in September
and reached national distribution in December. As a result of this unusual expense,
fourth quarter earnings declined to S1.47 per share from 52.11 per share for the
fourth quarter of 1958, and earnings for the year declined from S7.60 to 57.28
per share of common stock.
While it is too early to make any definite forecast as to the sales and aro%vth
possibilities of DUKE OF DURHAM, the consumer acceptance of this distinctive and
fine quality king size filter tip cigarette is encouraging.
In most all of the foreign markets of the world, the Company'S brands of ciga-
rettes are advertised and distributed through customers with %~hom %~e have had
a long and highly satisfactory relationship. Export sales to these cuStOmers make
an important contribution to the over-all business of the Company.
TIMN 446192
-7

The total sales of ciQarettes in the United States coiuinue to increase. DurinQ
the past year filter tip cigarettes showed a further gain and it is now estimated that
this type of cigarette accounts for about 50°0 of the total. King size cigarettes,
includin~ non-filter and filter tip, are estimated to account for about 68° of the
total. Menthol eiaarettes continued to gain in popularity with smokers. Liggett &
Myers Tobacco Company offers a variety of quality brands of cigarettes to suit the
exactinQ choice of e~er_y consumer. ThrouLh research and in many other ways,
the Company is constantly stri,~inQ to improve the quality of its products and to
effect economies in operations wherever possible.
As we face the new year and the beginning of a new decade, we are mindful of
the increase taking place in the population of the country and of the tremendous
growth possibilities of the economy and improvement in incomes and livina stand-
ards of the people. Prospects for all industry appear very hopeful. We believe that
the tobacco industry will participate fully in this expansion, and it is the aim of our
Company to avail itself of every opportunity to increase its v~olume of sales and its
share of the total business.
Mr. Benjamin F. Few retired on November 30, 1959, as President and Director
of the Company, having served the Company ably for more than forty-three years.
The Directors gratefully acknowledge his long and faithful service.
On behalf of the Board of Directors, I wish to express appreciation to our
customers, the stockholders and employees of the Company for their loyal support
and cooperation throughout the past year.
February 2, 1960
R'ILLI1)I A. BLOUNT
President
TIMN 446193
3

Highligh.ts of Oper-atioras
1959 1958
Net Sales $554,936,026 5556,045,7I0
Earnings before taxes . 65,074,689 67,912,008
Income and franchise taxes 35,036,000 36,689,000
Earnings before preferred dividends . 30,038,689 31,223,008
Net earnings after preferred dividends . . . , . . , , 28,608,582 29,761,821
Percentage of net sales . . . . . , , , , , , , 5.16% 5.35°0
Net earnings per share of common stock $7.28 $7.60
Dividends per share of common stock . $5.75 - 55.00
Current assets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $365,063,763 $369,974,311
Current liabilities 32,906,832 36,920,586
Ratio . . . . . . . , , , , , 11.1to1 10.0 to 1
Funded delzt
Capital stock
Additional paid-in capital .
Retained earnings . .
Approximate number of stockholders .
Annual Stockholders' Meeting
The Annual Stockholders' Meeting will be held at Hotel Plaza,
Journal Square, Jersey City, New Jersey, at 2:30 P.M., lue,.iav,
March 29, 1960.
Proxies will be mailed to stockholders February '-6. P+t,o. titO,k-
holders who are unable to attend the meeting are urged to ,_,,, :,*e.r
proxies and return them promptly to the Company so that i,e ,.~k
of the Company will be represented as fully as possible at the rneet ,g.
About Stockholders
46,800
Today your Company is owned by about 47,000 ,tock-
holders. Holdings range from a few shares in the hands of
thousands of stockholders to many hundreds of shares o« ned
by investment groups, educational institutions, insurance
companies, trusts, estates and banks. About 83% of the
total common and preferred stock was voted by person or
proxy at the last annual stockholders' meeting, March 31. 1959.
TIMN 446194
84,250,000 90,000,000
117,854,650 118,820,150
20,211,080 19,632,691
149,168,514 143,729,281
4

t
Flll CIIlCI (LL C012d1 tlOTl Net earnings for the year amounted to S30,038,689,
the second highest in the Company's history.
They were equal to S7.28 per common share as
against S31,223,008 the previous year when earn-
ings were equivalent to S7.60 per common share.
Total dividends paid to shareholders during
the year amounted to S2-1,015,365. In each of the
years 1948 to 1958 inclusive, excepting 1955 when
the date of payment of the extra dividend was
chan2ed from December 1 to March 1 of the
following year, four quarterly dividends of S 1.00
each and an extra dividend of S1.00, total 55.00
per share, were paid on the common stock of the
Company. Commencing with the dividend pay-
able June 1, 1959 the policy was adopted whereby
the dividend would be paid in four equal quar-
terly installments of S 1.25 per share, and the
practice of paying an extra dividend after the
close of the year would be discontinued. This new
policy is, of course, subject to revision at any
time in the future, depending upon earnings and
other business factors.
As a result of the foregoing change in divi-
dend policy,a total of $5.75 per share of common
stock was paid during the year 1959 in the
amounts and on the dates indicated:
(continued)
Complete modernization of uur l,illin;,r. auuditing and bookkeep-
ing systems has resulted in substuntial sacings to the CompanY.
TIMN 446195
I

6
~LJICLIlCl(1I C011Cht1p1L 1 larch 2 S 1.00
(('ontinued) %tarch 2
June 1 1.00 (extra)
1.25
September 1 1.25
December 1 1.35
Total S5.75
The cash position on December 31, 1959 was
appreciably improN ed. Cash on hand and in banks
was S7,328,?-ll, compared with S4,458,642 at the
end of I958. In addition, there was a total of
S-L,992,-185 invested in United States Government
securities and there were no short-term borrow-
ings at the year end. As average borrowings dur-
in` the year were considerably less than during
1958 there «as a reduction of S l,?95,'_'50 in inter-
est on bank loans.
Lon-term debt was S5,750,000 lower at the
end of 1959 as a result of retirement of debentures
throueh operation of the Sinking Funds. In the
absence of unusual developments no need for
new financing is anticipated in the foreseeable
future.
In a step to further reduce the number of
shares of non-callable 7 f preferred stock of the
Company outstanding, your Management suc-
ceeded in reacquiring 13,060 shares of such stock
during the year. As of December 31, 1959 there
was held in the treasurv a total of 29,460 shares.
If"ith the adoption of a regional collection sYstem, the Compan}' has
effected fcrther major sarinbs in manpouer and interest costs.
TIMN 446196

Capital E.ipeWlitures
The Company's two cigarette factories are lo-
cated at Durham, N. C., and Richmond, Va. In a
third factory at St. Louis, Mo., pipe and chewing
tobaccos are manufactured. Principal leaf tobacco
processing plants and leaf tobacco stora-ges are
located in Durham and Rocky Mount, i`!. C.,
Damille, Va., and in Lexington and Paris, Ky.
The Company's major plants, as well as machin-
ery and equipment, are either new or have been
extensi%ely modernized in recent years.
The construction of an addition to the mod-
ern research laboratories in Durham, N. C., as
pre~iously reported to stockholders, is well under
way and is expected to be completed this summer.
The program of maintaining plant and equip-
ment at maximum efficiency was continued dur-
inatheyear.Capitalexpendituresin 1959 amounted
toyapproximately $2,500,000 or about the same
as in the preVious year. No major capital expendi-
tures appear necessary in the near future.
Construction was undertaken during the
year on an addition to the Company's Turkish
tobacco processing plant located at Izmir,Turkey,
at a cost of approximately 5250,000. This will en-
large the handling facilities at this location and
result in further economy in operations.
During the past year, the Company disposed
of its warehouse property in Paris, Ill., which was
no longer needed. The transaction resulted jn a
profit to the Company.
Shown abore are tuo construction tietcs of the extensirc addition now being made to our
laboratories
in Durham, 1\'. C., designed to keep Liggett & _UYers' leadership in all phases of tobacco research.
'7

Federal and State income and franchise taxes
amounted to 535,036,000 in 1959 compared with
$36,689,000 in 1958. Such taxes alone amounted
to 58.91 per share of common stock compared
with net income of S7.28 per share.
Durina 1959 the excise taxes paid on the
Company's products totaled S237,337,000. The
method of payment of these excise taxes has im-
posed an undue financial burden upon the indus-
tiy for many years. The industry sought to con-
vince the Treasury Department and Congress
that they were entitled to a realistic deferred pay-
ment system. After several years of discussion the
Treasury Department finally agreed to allow the
manufacturers to file returns and make payments
on a twice a month basis commencing in June
1959. While the new plan protiides a small meas-
ure of relief it is wholly inadequate and the indus-
try hopes and expects that further adjustments
will be aranted in the future.
3
While the Federal and State income and
franchise taxes and the Federal excise taxes men-
tioned herein constitute the major portion of the
Company's tax bill, social security payments,
property taxes and many other miscellaneous
taxes add millions of dollars more to the total tax
burden. Social Security tax rates were again in-
creased, for both employer and employeg, com-
mencing January 1, 1960.
TIMN 446198
Federal excise taxes are based on shipments frwm our factories. Ttcice a month, the Liggett
& Yvers' messenger delicers a check to the U. S. Gorernment for many millions of dollars.
