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Show WET AND DRY Factions Fight Over Statistics Temperance union, and Laura Lind-ley, Lind-ley, research secretary of the Anti-Saloon Anti-Saloon league, were no less vehement vehe-ment in reporting dry successes during 1947. Mrs. Colvin estimated that the Those irreconcilable enemies, the wet and dry forces in the U. S., fought out the le'gal liquor question in 769 local option elections in 21 states last year, then went at each other hammer and tongs in a battle of statistics. Distilling industry spokesmen claimed that 1947 brought "the first wet gains since repeal." Prohibition groups countered that the past 12 months produced new victories for their campaign to dry up the country by taking one com- ; munity at a time. Outcome of the statistical fight i may never be clearly defined because be-cause the wets used population fig- , ures to back up their claims while the drys counted geographical areas. A net gain of about 150,000 persons per-sons in the "wet population" those living in the areas where sale of hard liquor is legal was reported by the Distilled Spirits institute. It said it has official figures from state governments showing that, the steady dry progress of the past 14 years was halted and even reversed in 1947. "In 1945," said a spokesman, "local option elections dried up areas in which 311,293 Americans lived. In 1946 there was a gain in the total dry population of 285.309. But this year, the tables were turned and the wet population showed an increase for the first time since 1933." However, Mrs. D. Leigh Colvin, president of the Women's Christian m ! , number of legally dry areas "jumped about 500" during the year as a result of local option elections Miss Lindley said the Anti-Saloon league had not yet completed its survey of liquor election results but added that a preliminary report on 15 states showed a net gain of 259 dry communities. The opposing factions were agreed on only one point-that the current year would bring more hard-fought battles In states, counties, townships town-ships and wards on the question oj local prohibition. |