INTERESTING TO NEWSPAPER. SUBSCRIBERS.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XV, Issue 220, 8 November 1880, Page 4

INTERESTING TO NEWSPAPER. SUBSCRIBERS.

Judging from a recent case beard in' the Small Debts Court, Mudgee, a great, many newpaper subscribers are.ignorant of the law bearing on the subject. For their benefit we make the following ; extracts, which we commend them to " read,mark, and learn" : — " Anyperuon who takes a paper regularly from a Post Office, whether directed to his name or another's, or whether he hai subscribed or not, is responsible for the payment/ " If a person orders his paper to be discontinued, he must pay all arrears, or the publisher may continue to send it until payment is made, and collect the whole amount, whether the paper ie taken from the office or not." " The Courts have decided that refusing to take newspapers and periodicals from the Post Office, or removing and leaving them uncalled for, is prima facie evidence of that intentional fraud." The Trade Protection Society sued sixteen of their subscribers for arrears of subscription to their paper. The defendants admitted that they were subscribers, but refused to pay the amount sued for, alleging by their attorney as a defence that the paper was sent to them after they had given notice to the proprietors to discontinue sending theßame to them. The plaintiffs, by their attorney, Mr J,

M'Carthy, contended that the defendants' were liable, as at the time the notice; was sent the defendants were in arrear in their subscriptions, and that his clients could, in face of that notice, continue sending the paper until all arrears were paid. In support of this view he, referred the Court to several authorities j on this matter. The police magistrate, j after hearing the attorneys on both sides, sustained the view of the plaintiffs attorney, and gave a verdict for the amount claimed in each case, together with witnesses' expenses.