percentage points as a percent of net sales, and adjusted selling, marketing and administrative expenses decreased from 22.4% in nine months 2018 to 22.1% in nine months 2019, a favorable decrease of 0.3 percentage points as a percent of net sales. The decrease in adjusted selling, marketing and administrative expenses in third quarter and nine months 2019 principally reflects decreases in general and administrative expenses, primarily legal and professional fees, in 2019 when compared to the corresponding periods in 2018.
Selling, marketing and administrative expenses include $14,536 and $14,698 for customer freight, delivery and warehousing expenses in third quarter 2019 and 2018, respectively, a decrease of $162 or 1.1%, and expenses were $36,753 and $36,304 in nine months 2019 and 2018, respectively, an increase of $449 or 1.2%. These expenses were 8.0% and 8.1% of net product sales in third quarter 2019 and 2018, respectively, and were 9.4% of net product sales in both nine months 2019 and 2018.
Earnings from operations were $36,038 in third quarter 2019 compared to $30,226 in third quarter 2018, and were $54,311 in nine months 2019 compared to $50,436 in nine months 2018. Earnings from operations include $221 and $2,350 of certain deferred compensation expenses in third quarter 2019 and 2018; respectively, and include $7,057 and $4,365 of certain deferred compensation expenses in nine months 2019 and 2018, respectively, which are discussed above. Adjusting for these deferred compensation costs and expenses, earnings from operations were $36,259 and $32,576 in third quarter 2019 and 2018, respectively, an increase of $3,683 or 11.3%; and adjusted operating earnings were $61,368 and $54,801 in nine months 2019 and 2018, respectively, an increase of $6,567 or 12.0%. As a percentage of net product sales, these adjusted operating earnings were 19.9% and 17.9% in third quarter 2019 and 2018, respectively, a favorable increase of 2.0 percentage points as a percentage of net product sales; and as a percentage of net product sales, these adjusted operating earnings were 15.8% and 14.1% in nine months 2019 and 2018, respectively, a favorable increase of 1.7 percentage points as a percentage of net product sales. The improvement in adjusted earnings from operations principally reflects the benefits of higher price realization as well as the reduction and containment of certain costs and expense as discussed above.
Management believes the comparisons presented in the preceding paragraphs, after adjusting for changes in deferred compensation, are more reflective of the underlying operations of the Company.
Other income, net was $1,846 in third quarter 2019 compared to $2,987 in third quarter 2018, an unfavorable decrease of $1,141; and other income, net, was $10,916 in nine months 2019 compared to $6,871 in nine months 2018, a favorable increase of $4,045. Other income, net for third quarter 2019 and 2018 includes net gains and investment income of $221 and $2,350, respectively, on trading securities which provide an economic hedge of the Company’s deferred compensation liabilities; and other income, net for nine months 2019 and 2018 includes net gains and investment income of $7,057 and $4,365, respectively, on trading securities. These changes in trading securities were substantially offset by a like amount of deferred compensation expense included in product cost of goods sold and selling, marketing, and administrative expenses in the respective periods as discussed above. Other income, net for third quarter 2019 and 2018 includes investment income on available for sale securities of $1,160 and $799 in 2019 and 2018, respectively; and other income, net for nine months 2019 and 2018 includes investment income on available for sale securities of $3,341 and $2,520 in 2019 and 2018, respectively. Other income, net also includes gains (losses) on foreign exchange of $181 and $(506) in third quarter 2019 and 2018, respectively, and $(265) and $(783) in nine months 2019 and 2018, respectively.
The consolidated effective tax rates were 21.2% and 21.5% in third quarter 2019 and 2018, respectively, and 22.9% and 22.1% in nine months 2019 and 2018, respectively. The higher tax rates in nine months 2019 principally reflect higher state and foreign income tax expense, including the effects of certain international tax provisions relating to U.S. tax reform legislation that became effective at the beginning of 2018.
Net earnings attributable to Tootsie Roll Industries, Inc. were $29,854 (after $8 net loss attributed to non-controlling interests) in third quarter 2019 compared to $26,104 (after $25 net loss attributed to non-controlling interests) in third quarter 2018, and earnings per share were $0.46 and $0.40 in third quarter 2019 and 2018, respectively, an increase of $0.06 per share, or 15.0%. Nine months 2019 net earnings attributable to Tootsie Roll Industries, Inc. were $50,365 (after $64 net loss attributed to non-controlling interests) compared to nine months 2018 net earnings of $44,718 (after $68 net loss attributed to non-controlling interests), and net earnings per share were $0.77 and $0.68 in nine months 2019 and nine months 2018, respectively, an increase of $0.09 per share or 13.2%. Earnings per share attributable to Tootsie Roll Industries, Inc. for third quarter and nine months 2019 did benefit from the