Federal Trade Commission
Received Documents
May 28, 1996
P894219
B18354900156

                                   THE TILEWORKS

                                   4140 Grand Avenue
                                   Des Moines, Iowa 50312
                                   515-255-1300

                                   Fax: 515-255-5124

May 24, 1996

Mr.  Don Clark
Secretary
Federal Trade Commission
Room 159
Sixth and Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20580

Dear Mr. Clark:

In response to the Commission's investigation No. 332-366, Country of Origin Marketing: Review of Laws,
Regulations, and Practices, I previously addressed the issues on the Country of Origin Worksheet.  This was
mailed on May 10, 1996.  An additional copy is enclosed for your information.

I am very appreciative that the Commission has indicated the importance of this dilemma by extending the
amount of time for filing public comments.  As requested, six copies of my comments are attached.

Please call me for a telephone interview if you would like to discuss my submission.

Sincerely,


Deborah S. Forsythe
Executive Vice President

DSF: csl

Enclosures
                                     THE TILEWORKS



                 "MADE IN U.S.A." POLICY COMMENT
            Federal Trade Commission File No. P 894219

                     Submitted May 24,1996 by
          Deborah S. Forsythe, Executive Vice President
                          THE TILEWORKS




The "Made in the U.S.A." marking requirement is one of immense importance to competitive and consumer
protection in the tile industry and to our company.  This requirement should be continued and strictly enforced
on the all or virtually all standard. This obligation should not be diluted and made enforceable by reducing this
standard to a 50% content rule or a substantial transformation standard.

The Tileworks takes the "Made in the U.S.A." label seriously. Only 5% of our raw materials are procured abroad. 
All of our products are manufactured, warehoused, and shipped from the United States.

We take issue with entities claiming the "Made in the U.S.A." label as their right, when they acquire most of their
materials from another country and use inexpensive foreign labor forces (particularly Mexico), while their product
perhaps only makes a pit-stop in the United States, if it ever even comes within our borders.

The Tileworks is a family-owned business, which has enjoyed the benefits of capitalism and entrepreneurism --
of the American Dream.  We think our customers, from the corporate giants to the handyman/woman fixer-upper
grow the GNP when they purchase tile from our company, or products from other companies such as ours -- who
are the true owners of the "Made in the U.S.A." label.

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USTRDM24.DOC