To the Board of Directors and Stockholders of Ameron International Corporation :
We have completed an integrated audit of Ameron International Corporation's
2004 consolidated financial statements and of its internal control over financial
reporting as of November 30, 2004 and an audit of its 2003 consolidated financial
statements in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting
Oversight Board (United States). Our opinions, based on our audits, are presented
below.
Consolidated financial statements
In our opinion, the accompanying consolidated balance sheets and the related
consolidated statements of income, of stockholders' equity, of comprehensive
income and of cash flows present fairly, in all material respects, the financial
position of Ameron International Corporation and its subsidiaries at November
30, 2004 and 2003, and the results of their operations and their cash flows
for each of the two years in the period ended November 30, 2004 in conformity
with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.
These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company's management.
Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statements based
on our audits.We conducted our audits of these statements in accordance with
the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States).
Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable
assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement.
An audit of financial statements includes examining, on a test basis, evidence
supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements, assessing
the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management,
and evaluating the overall financial statement presentation.We believe that
our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.The financial statements
of the Company for the year ended November 30, 2002 were audited by other auditors
whose report dated February 3, 2003, except as to Note 16 which is dated as
of February 24, 2004, expressed an unqualified opinion on those statements.
As discussed in Note 1 to the consolidated financial statements, the Company
changed its method of accounting for goodwill effective December 1, 2002.
Internal control over financial reporting
Also, in our opinion, management's assessment, included in the accompanying
Management's Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting, that the Company
maintained effective internal control over financial reporting as of November
30, 2004 based on criteria established in Internal Control - Integrated Framework
issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission
(COSO), is fairly stated, in all material respects, based on those criteria.
Furthermore, in our opinion, the Company maintained, in all material respects,
effective internal control over financial reporting as of November 30, 2004,
based on criteria established in Internal Control - Integrated Framework issued
by COSO. The Company's management is responsible for maintaining effective internal
control over financial reporting and for its assessment of the effectiveness
of internal control over financial reporting. Our responsibility is to express
opinions on management's assessment and on the effectiveness of the Company's
internal control over financial reporting based on our audit. We conducted our
audit of internal control over financial reporting in accordance with the standards
of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards
require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about
whether effective internal control over financial reporting was maintained in
all material respects. An audit of internal control over financial reporting
includes obtaining an understanding of internal control over financial reporting,
evaluating management's assessment, testing and evaluating the design and operating
effectiveness of internal control, and performing such other procedures as we
consider necessary in the circumstances.We believe that our audit provides a
reasonable basis for our opinions.
A company's internal control over financial reporting is a process designed
to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting
and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance
with generally accepted accounting principles.A company's internal control over
financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (i) pertain
to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly
reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the company; (ii)
provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to
permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted
accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures of the company are
being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors
of the company; and (iii) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention
or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the
company's assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.
Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting
may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation
of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may
become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance
with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.

Los Angeles, California
February 9, 2004 |