Brothels, Ltd.

When Strongman Juan Peron decided to lift Argentina's 1936 ban on legalized prostitution as part of his campaign against the Roman Catholic Church (TIME, Jan. 10), his decree authorized provincial and local governments to license brothels in "suitable places." Last week the Buenos Aires municipal council, pioneering in this unplowed field, made public its plans for building a $6,516,000 "suitable place" near the geographical center of the nation's capital. The city's only authorized red-light district will consist of two austere rows of classic structures, 32 in all, with columns and colonnades. Every building w111 include a dining room (for the workers, not the customers), kitchen, servants' quarters, medical office, and patio.

The municipal government will lease the brothels to private operators, who must conform to a stringent regulatory code. Each establishment will house no more than 16 prostitutes, all of whom must obtain good-conduct certificates from the police. Prostitutes must be at least 22 years old, customers at least 18. Every prostitute will have a legal right to reject any customer she finds unacceptible. As a final touch of austerity, the code strictly forbids any drinking, dancing or gambling on the premises.

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