Announced Actions for August 26, 1997

Applications for approval of transactions: The FTC has received an application for approval of a transaction from the following. The FTC is seeking public comments on the application for 30 days, until Sept. 24.

• The FTC has received an application from Loewen Group, Inc., of Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada, and Loewen Group International, Inc., of Covington, Kentucky, requesting approval to divest Thomae Garza Funeral Home, Inc., located in Harlingen/San Benito, Texas, and Garza Memorial Funeral Home, Inc., located in Brownsville, Texas, to Border Funerals, Inc., a corporation based in Laredo, Texas, and controlled by Fred Dickey. Divestiture of these or other specified assets is required by an August 1996 consent order settling charges that Loewen Group’s acquistion of Thomae Garza Funeral Directors, Inc. and Garza Memorial Funeral Home, Inc. would substan tially reduce competition for funeral services in Cameron County, Texas. The divesti tures are designed to restore competition. (See May 14, 1996 news release for more details regarding the order; Docket No. C-3677.) Staff contact is Daniel Ducore, 202- 326-2526.

Comments on the application should be addressed to the FTC, Office of the Secretary, 6th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20580. Copies of the documents referenced above are available from the FTC’s Public Reference Branch, Room 130, at the same address; 202-326-2222; TTY for the hearing impaired 1-866-653-4261. To find out the latest news as it is announced, call the FTC NewsPhone recording at 202- 326-2710. FTC news releases and other materials also are available on the Internet at the FTC’s World Wide Web site at: http://www.ftc.gov