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Quarts & measures


August 1, 1947
Sacramento

The state is growing, but it’s becoming less thirsty–or so it appears from a State Board of Equalization report issued today, which pegs the May 1946 liquor consumtion rate at 1,891,669 gallons of the hard stuff, May 1947 a paltry 1,192,228. The liquor industry is nervously suggesting a return to the 25¢ cocktail…. but mayhap the numbers aren’t what they seem to be. We can think of any number of misleading reasons for such a drop. Take the poll below to chime in with yours (multiple answers are okay).

Why might it appear less sauce was sipped in May ’47?
Free drinks for returning servicemen.
Slippery accounting practices.
B-girls’ beverages don’t count.
Numbers accurate; matched by surprising spike in soda orders.
More liquor smuggled in from TJ now that gas rationing finito.
Soused barman can’t count so hot.
Other (email your answer to amscray@gmail.com and I’ll add it to this entry)


Free polls from Pollhost.com

Additional comments: Elisabeth says “I think Larry’s got it: All those drunk driving busts thinned the herd.”

Kim Cooper

Kim Cooper is the creator of 1947project, the crime-a-day time travel blog that spawned Esotouric’s popular crime bus tours, including The Real Black Dahlia. She is the author of The Kept Girl, the acclaimed historical mystery starring the young Raymond Chandler and the real-life Philip Marlowe, and of The Raymond Chandler Map of Los Angeles. With husband Richard Schave, Kim curates the Salons and forensic science seminars of LAVA- The Los Angeles Visionaries Association. When the third generation Angeleno isn’t combing old newspapers for forgotten scandals, she is a passionate advocate for historic preservation of signage, vernacular architecture and writer’s homes. Kim was for many years the editrix of Scram, a journal of unpopular culture. Her books include Fall in Love For Life, Bubblegum Music is the Naked Truth, Lost in the Grooves and an oral history of Neutral Milk Hotel.

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Kim Cooper

Kim Cooper is the creator of 1947project, the crime-a-day time travel blog that spawned Esotouric’s popular crime bus tours, including The Real Black Dahlia. She is the author of The Kept Girl, the acclaimed historical mystery starring the young Raymond Chandler and the real-life Philip Marlowe, and of The Raymond Chandler Map of Los Angeles. With husband Richard Schave, Kim curates the Salons and forensic science seminars of LAVA- The Los Angeles Visionaries Association. When the third generation Angeleno isn’t combing old newspapers for forgotten scandals, she is a passionate advocate for historic preservation of signage, vernacular architecture and writer’s homes. Kim was for many years the editrix of Scram, a journal of unpopular culture. Her books include Fall in Love For Life, Bubblegum Music is the Naked Truth, Lost in the Grooves and an oral history of Neutral Milk Hotel.

One thought on “Quarts & measures”

  1. ARRESTS FOR INTOXICATION

    by calendar year

    1937……….44,176
    1938……….41,388
    1939……….41,878
    1940……….48,014
    1941……….53,294
    1942……….61,865
    1943……….45,354
    1944……….62,510
    1945……….72,465
    1946……….92,108
    1947……….98,149 (a 222% increase over 1937)

    Felony Drunk Driving, 1947……………..365
    Misdemeanor Drunk Driving, 1947…..2,677

    Source: Los Angeles Police Department Annual Report for 1947

    https://www.lmharnisch.com

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