that replaced the Liberals in 1921 called a referendum to allow voters to show their determination to continue with prohibition, bring back the pre-war wild times or establish government-owned stores and allow increased sales through tightly regulated taverns. The referendum was conducted in November 1923 and Albertans chose a government-controlled system. The Liquor Act was replaced by the Liquor Control Act and the Alberta Liquor Control Board (ALCB) was created. The first hotels to be relicensed were the Palliser Hotel in Calgary and the Hotel Macdonald in Edmonton. The ALCB maintained tight control over the Alberta liquor industry for the next seven decades. Hotels that met the strict requirements for a liquor licence had to adhere to strict rules regarding the décor, cleanliness and aura of the establishment. According to historian David Leonard, the idea was to make drinking establishments as sparse as possible. Patrons were not allowed to stand up with their drinks in hand, and entertainment in a licensed beverage room was prohibited. Although women were allowed to drink alongside their male counterparts at first, "mixed" drinking was later blamed for riotous behaviour, and in 1928 the Liquor Control Act was amended so that special rooms had to be created for "ladies and escorts". In the 1930s, the ALCB hired armed officers to enforce the Liquor Control Act. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) assumed enforcement duties (where no municipal police had jurisdiction) after taking over provincial policing duties from the APP in 1932. Beer off-sales were permitted from hotels starting in 1934, however the sale of wine and hard liquor remained more tightly controlled. As was the case in most Canadian provinces, the only legal way to purchase spirits in Alberta was to travel to a deliberately uninviting ALCB store, where the customer had to apply on a paper form indicating what they wanted to purchase. The requested product was then fetched by a staff member after the customer's age was carefully checked. The ALCB did not permit individualized packaging for wine or spirits. It purchased wine and spirits from wineries and distillers in bulk barrels, then bottled them into stone jars and bottles with the ALCB brand for resale in stores. ALCB stores were few and far between (especially in rural areas), and spirits were frequently watered down prior to bottling. A Social Credit government assumed office in 1935, going on to dominate Albertan politics for