The Village Squire, 1981-06, Page 33Last Word
"Booze or Bankruptcy"
Two dozen Londoners, men and
women, gathered outside 419 Talbot
Street (at Carling) on a chilly Junc
morning 54 years ago. The occasion was
the opening of London's first government
liquor store and the end of 11 years of
prohibition. Shortly after 10 a.m. on Junc
1, 1927 Frank Turville opened the doors
to over 400 varieties of wine, liquor and
beer costing between 70 cents and $4.50.
The first bottles purchased included
Burke's Irish Whiskey and Sandy Mac -
Donald's Scotch.
Local officials were surprised at the
small number of people who visited the
store in the morning though a second
store at 647 Dundas Street in London was
kept busy filling mail orders. Some 2.000
permits were issued for the purchase of
liquor that first day. More than half came
from St. Thomas, St. Marys, Strathroy
and points just outsidc of London. The
London stores were part of a chain of 18
stores that included six in Toronto, and
two each in Windsor. Hamilton and
Ottawa. By the end of 1927 there were 78
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liquor stores in operation across the
province.
Prohibition had deprived the Provincial
treasury of an important source of
revenue while Ouebcc and British Colum-
bia took advantage of a controlled liquor
traffic and the thirst of American tourists.
The Volstead Act in the United States
permitted Americans to drink liquor but
not to manufacture, sell. transport or
import it. At the same time the Ontario
Temperance Act made it illegal for
citizens of Ontario to drink liquor. except
for medical purposes. They could how-
ever manufacture and transport liquor
outside of the province. This anomaly was
great for the "rum -runners" who thrived
along the border. Private stills and home
brew flowed freely. returning no income
to a government in need of funds.
A plebiscite in 1924 asked Ontarians if
they were in favour of the sale of beer.
wine and spirits under Government
control. Forty-nine per cent of the voters
said yes. But the province remained dry
by a slim majority of 35.000 votes. To
satisfy the yeas. Premier Ferguson
approved the sale of light beer (beer with
an alcoholic content of 4.4 per cent).
"Fergie's Foam" satisfied no one. pro-
hibitionist nor drinker. A year later the
Conservative government went to the
polls on a platform of "booze or
bankruptcy". Alcohol was hailed as the
only way out of mounting provincial debt.
The government had ensured its
victory by changing nine mainly rural
ridings into ten rural -urban ones. And 56
per cent of the electors voted in favour of
the Conservative's program for the sale
and control of liquor. As promised. a bill
was introduced into the Legislature on
March 1, 1927 to establish the Liquor
Control Board of Ontario.
Under the new regulations advertising
by Albert Stray
was not permitted. A purchaser had to be
21 years old and possess a valid liquor
permit which cost 51 per year. The right
to buy liquor could be revoked if a person
over -used the permit. Tourists could buy
a 30 day "transient" ticket for 52. In
addition to these individual permits,
ministers and priests were granted
special permits for the purchase of wine
for sacramental purposes. Druggists.
physicians. dentists. veterinarians and
any other person involved in a business
requiring the use of alcohol could obtain a
special permit.
Being drunk in a public place or
drinking outside of your own home were
punishable by fines of $10 to 5100. or 30
days in jail. A second conviction could
bring four months in jail or a fine ranging
between 5200 and 5500. Police had the
right to search any vehicle. house or
building without a search warrant and
they were not required to give any reason
for a search. If the police found liquor in
your possession. it was up to you to prove
you had purchased it at a government
"shop". In other words. you were guilty
until proven innocent.
In order to buy a bottle of liquor. a
person had to have a permit in hand to
enter the store. Once inside you had to
select what you wanted from a supplied
list. fill out an order slip and take it to a
clerk. Your permit was stamped. and
then a "censor" checked your permit.
You could be turned back because you
had filled out the w rong coloured order
slip. White was for cash and carry. pink
for mail order. After paying the cashier.
the order slip was stamped. In the Talbot
Street store in London this w as carried
out in what was known as the south room.
The buyer then had to go to the north
room to have the order filled.
As of October 31. 1927 London had two
liquor stores in operation as well as three
brewers' warehouses at 80 Bathurst
Street (now Silverwood's Dairy). 655
Dundas Street (Regal Mattress) and at
413 Hamilton Road (at Rectory). The first
five months of operation across the
province generated a total gross rcvcnuc
of 517.805.824.81. After expenses the
Liquor Control Board was left with
52.804.760.25. Of this. 52.800.000.00 was
paid into the Provincial Treasury as
required by the Liquor Act. For the first
time in eight years the Province ended
ended up with a surplus.
If Ontarians wanted to drink. Govern-
ment was determined to r-ofit from it. U