Notice: Food Supplies

To the People of the Commonwealth:

Bendir Dale and the Shrine of Eilistraee have both recently been struck by a blighting wind that has destroyed all vegetation and unpreserved food supplies.
We do not know if this phenomenon will strike again, or where, but given the Commonwealth's current troubles with food production and distribution, such an event over Cordor could cause serious problems.

The Ministry highly recommends that all residents make the effort to set aside, where possible, a store of at least one month's worth of dried, salted, pickled or otherwise preserved food, and urges all food producers to immediately take steps to treat a large portion of their product in this manner.

[There follows a list of common foodstuffs and the ways in which they can be preserved, including meat and fish (drying, salting and/or curing), eggs, cucumbers, cabbage (pickling), other vegetables (preserving in oil), fruit (jams and jellies), etc.]

The Minister of Health & Public Welfare is pleased to announce the provisional appointment of Llinyarrii, former Dawnmaster of the Temple of Lathander, to the position of Head of the South Cordor Hospice, subject to review after a period of three months.

Cordor to Legalize Prostitution Once Again

The departing Minister of Health and Public Welfare, Xaviera Xee, in a reversal of the policy enacted under the former Speaker, Joseph Maximillian, has announced that prostitution will once more be legal in Cordor. The new legislation was passed unanimously at the last meeting of the Council.

"Under the previous administration, the criminalization of pleasure work was a major tactic used by allies of the Arcanum and underworld thugs to steal information from the Ministry of Law. If we can ensure that those who work in this area are well-treated and well-compensated, this reduces the opportunity for criminals to make money in Cordor and to undermine the Commonwealth. This also gives us the means to ensure that anyone who practices the trade does so in a clean and safe environment and that regular health checks are performed."

The Minister, who worked for a time as a self-employed courtesan prior to the establishment of the Commonwealth, noted that the new regulations would also permit the establishment of 'safe houses' for those in the trade that would be subject to regular inspections and taxation. She explained that rules would limit the profits to be made by any who operated such premises, as well as those who wished to act as brokers for the services, jobs that were traditionally performed by 'madames'. Further, the Temple of Love, the bath house and center of worship she runs in North Cordor as High Priestess of Sharess, would provide half a million coins to assist the Commonwealth in the construction and establishment of several such buildings in discreet locations about the city and would offer financial support to those who wished to enter the trade but who were unable to pay for lodging in the new premises. She stated that "those who are in the business because they want to be should be able to practice freely, while those who are in it but would rather not be should be helped to leave it on good terms. These regulations will ensure that more of the money that our ladies make stays in their own purses, which further reduces the opportunities for exploitation and allows them to build up the funds they need to support themselves at other trades."

Minister Xee further noted that only those who registered as courtesans with the Commonwealth authorities would be covered by the new law and permitted to practice. Those who offer unlicenced services could be subject to prosecution under laws regarding lewd conduct, breach of the peace and similar codes, as the laws also require that solicitation shall not "constitute an eyesore or public nuisance in the advertising or performance" of the services, which "must be provided indoors in an enclosed area that is out of the sight of others". "Even while technically illegal, the sale of pleasure for coin has never stopped in Cordor," the Minister said. "People being who they are, I expect that it never will stop. We merely wish to acknowledge reality while making the business safe for those who buy and sell in the Commonwealth in accordance with the doctrine of Waukeen."