Prohibition

¹The Prohibition Era in Canada lasted from 1915 to 1925, though it varied from province to province. It was the result of Canada's vigorous temperance movement which began almost a century earlier. In 1878 The Canadian Temperance Act was passed and the making and selling of hard liquor became illegal. Alcohol was blamed for widespread poverty and social evils such as the neglect of one's work, the spread of disease, crime, and the mistreatment of women and children.
   Prior to 1916 Manitoba had open bars and no tax on beer. When liquor was banned, many Manitoba people began to order liquor from Ontario. The Government had "spotters" who went around checking to see if people had liquor or were making home brew.
   One local story of this era tells how panic would hit when word got out that a spotter was in town. People would bury liquor in the garden or hide their stills down their wells. One resourceful lady in town filled all her empty quart sealers to the brim so they still all looked empty! Another one hearing a police "spotter" approaching smashed the bottle of "moonshine" into the wood stove where the alcohol flared up, but no damage was done. Yet another emptied a bottle into a peepot and sat a child on it! The spotters never suspected. One woman's father visited his still in the woods one day and found the booze-catcher empty. But all around it lay inebriated local people!  
   The picture shows a man sampling the product of his 'work'. Such setups were often owned communally by a number of families.
   What was actually fermented in the first step varied. One family combined a bag of bran, sugar and yeast in a 45 gallon wooden barrel and allowed to ferment in a warm place for a week or longer. In the winter the barrel was buried in the manure heap in the winter months to keep it warm.²
   Sugar became a problem, both because of its cost and because it was rationed during World War II. One solution to that was to crush home-grown sugar beets to obtain their sweet juice.
   Most of the powerful product was kept for home consumption. However an old bachelor made it for sale because it was his main way of making a living. He would often be seen trudging along the road with his coat slung over a pole on his shoulder. His regular customers knew that under the pole hung one or two bottles of moonshine!
   But it was not just people who enjoyed the product of the still. A woman who lives near Bruxelles remembers her husband putting some raisins into his "mash" in the fermentation barrel. When it had been cooked to distill off the alcohol he threw the residue into the yard by the house. A few hours later his wife heard a ruckus outside:- the hens were cackling and staggering around and the rooster was scratching, stumbling about and cackling like the hens!
  The art of making "moonshine" still flourishes in more than one place.

Once the soldiers came back from the War, pressure was put on the Government to ease up on the tight liquor laws. By 1922, beer could be purchased in bars and liquor was sold in government stores.

In 1928 "Men Only" beer parlours came into being under the Liquor Control Commission. Only white men were allowed on the premises! There was no food or entertainment. Drinking was done while standing at the bar as there were no tables and chairs. Liquor licenses were given out under the name "Beer Parlour License" until 1956 when the new name Beverage Room License or Cabaret or Dining Room License came into effect. This was also the time when women were finally allowed into Beverage Rooms.

A story about those times:

There was a time in Manitoba's history when women were not allowed into the local beer parlour. This caused some resentment especially among fun loving women like Wilma and Louise. These two chose a dark, brisk Halloween night to challenge this law, when they dressed up in pants, boots and parkas, dirtied their faces and stuffed their hair under their parka hoods. In disguise they boldly walked into the beer parlour, sat down and ordered two beers each. They were served with some quizzical looks, but they downed their beers quickly and were considering ordering two more when "Mother Nature" called! Wilma and Louise were not brave enough to carry their deception into the only washroom, the men's, so they made a "manly" departure down the street to Wilma's place, where they collapsed into giggles, quite proud of themselves and satisfied with their escapade.

An interesting law which existed in Manitoba was called the "Interdiction Law". To most people it was known as the "Black List". When a person was sent to court for any reason, the judge would assume that the individual was wasting his estate or damaging his family's future because of alcohol abuse. The judge would "interdict" the person for a certain amount of time or put him on the "Black List". This list was circulated to hotels in the surrounding areas and that person was to be banned from the premises. Because no pictures accompanied the list, it was impossible to enforce the law properly. The law was abolished in 1985.

On a September Morn:

Old Father Hubbard went to the cupboard,
To get a bottle of beer.
But when he got there the cupboard was bare,
Alas! Prohibition was here.

He went to the tavern to purchase some ale,
But when he got there the place was for sale.
He went to the shop for a bottle of gin,
But when he got there he couldn't get in.

He ordered some whisky, for use scientific!
They sent him wood spirits - the smell was terrific.
He went to a Vet to prescribe for a calf
Some brandy would do, say a pint and a half.
He found on returning, the Vet played him false,
The bottle contained only water and salts.

He went to a doctor for rum for a boil,
But Doc. prescribed sulphur and sweet Castor Oil.
He went to a druggist without a prescription,
So couldn't get liquor of any description.

He sought a blind pig as his only resort,
But when it was raided he landed in court.
He went to the "farm" out at Guelph for a rest,
He thought when released prohibition was best.
He's glad to be freed from King Alcohol's power,
So now he goes thirsty or drinks lemon sour.

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