Is This an Ad for the World's First Portable Restroom Company?

For the Public,

Is this an ad for the first portable restroom company in the world?

A 1943 ad for portable chemical toilets from Pacific Sanitary Company
A 1943 ad for Portable Chemical Toilets from the Pacific Sanitary Company

You’ve probably heard that after wooden portable restrooms were used during World War II in the Navy shipyards, this idea was adopted by individual companies, and the portable restroom industry was born. This ad from 1943, however, causes us to challenge that theory. According to this ad, the Pacific Sanitary Company has established locations in both Los Angeles and San Francisco. Of course, units would need to have been constructed in advance of September 1943 as well as revenue generated through rentals to produce this advertisement. Interesting...

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