An Act to repeal certain enactments relating to Newspapers, Pamphlets, and other Publications, and to Printers, Typefounders, and Reading Rooms.
[12th July 1869]
Be it enacted by the Queen's most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
The Acts and parts of Acts described in the first schedule to this Act are hereby repealed, but the provisions of the said Acts which are set out in the second schedule to this Act shall continue in force in the same manner as if they were enacted in the body of this Act; and this Act shall not affect the validity or invalidity of anything already done or suffered, or any right or title already acquired or accrued, or any remedy or proceeding in respect thereof, and all such remedies and proceedings may be had and continued in the same manner as if this Act had not passed.
This Act may be cited as The Newspapers, Printers, and Reading Rooms Repeal Act, 1869.
| Date of Act. | Title of Act, and part repealed. | |
|---|---|---|
| 36 Geo. 3. c. 8. | An Act for the more effectually preventing seditious meetings and assemblies. | |
| 39 Geo. 3. c. 79. in part. | An Act for the more effectual" suppression of societies established for seditious and treasonable purposes, and for better preventing treasonable and seditious practices | } In part, namely,—sections fifteen to thirty-three, both inclusive, and so much of " sections thirty-four to thirty-nine as relates to the above-mentioned sections. |
| 51 Geo. 3. c. 65. | An Act to explain and amend an Act passed in the thirty-ninth year of His Majesty's reign, intituled "An Act for the " more effectual suppression of societies established for seditious and treasonable purposes, and for better preventing " treasonable and seditious practices," so far as respects certain penalties on printers and publishers. | |
| 55 Geo. 3. c. 101. in part. | An Act to regulate the collection of stamp duties and matters in respect of which licences may be granted by the commissioner of stamps in Ireland | } In part, namely,—Section thirteen. |
| 60 Geo. 3. & 1 Geo. 4. c. 9. | An Act to subject certain publications to the duties of stamps upon newspapers, and to make other regulations for restraining the abuses arising from the publication of blasphemous and seditious libels. | |
| 11 Geo. 4. & 1 Will. 4 c. 73. | An Act to repeal so much of an Act of the sixtieth year of His late Majesty King George the Third, for the more effectual prevention and punishment of blasphemous and seditious libels, as relates to the sentence of banishment for the second offence, and to provide some further remedy against the abuse of publishing libels. | |
| 6 & 7 Will. 4. c. 76. in part. | An Act to reduce the duties on newspapers, and to amend the laws relating to the duties on newspapers and advertisements - ' | { In part, namely,—
|
| 2 & 3 Vict. c.12 | An Act to amend an Act of the thirty-ninth year of King George the Third, for the more effectual suppression of societies established for seditious and treasonable purposes, and for preventing treasonable and seditious practices, and to put an end to certain proceedings now pending under the said Act. | |
| 5 & 6 Vict. c. 82. in part. | An Act to assimilate the stamp duties in . Great Britain and Ireland, and to make regulations for collecting and managing the same until the tenth day of October one thousand eight hundred and forty-five | } In part, namely,—
|
| 9 & 10 Vict. c. 33. in part. | An Act to amend the laws relating to corresponding societies and the licensing of lecture rooms | { In part, namely,—
|
| 16 & 17 Vict. c. 59. in part. | An Act to repeal certain stamp duties and to grant others in lieu thereof, to amend the laws relating to ) stamp duties, and to make perpetual certain stamp duties in Ireland | } In part, namely,—
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Nothing in this Act contained shall extend or be construed to extend to any papers printed by the authority and for the use of either House of Parliament.
Every person who shall print any paper for hire, reward, gain, or profit, shall carefully preserve and keep one copy (at least) of every paper so printed by him or her, on which he or she shall write, or cause to be written or printed, in fair and legible characters, the name and place of abode of the person or persons by whom he or she shall be employed to print the same; and every person printing any paper for hire, reward, gain, or profit who shall omit or neglect to write, or cause to be written or printed as aforesaid, the name and place of his or her employer on one of such printed papers, or to keep or preserve the same for the space of six calendar months next after the printing thereof, or to produce and show the same to any justice of the peace who within the said space of six calendar months shall require to see the same, shall for every such omission, neglect, or refusal forfeit and lose the sum of twenty pounds.
Nothing herein contained shall extend to the impression of any engraving, or to the printing by letter-press of the name, or the name and address, or business or profession, of any person, and the articles in which he deals, or to any papers for the sale of estates or goods by auction or otherwise.
No person shall be prosecuted or sued for any penalty imposed by this Act, unless such prosecution shall be commenced, or such action shall be brought, within three calendar months next after such penalty shall have been incurred.
And any pecuniary penalty imposed by this Act, and not exceeding the sum of twenty pounds, shall and may be recovered before any justice or justices of the peace for the county, stewartry, riding, division, city, town, or place, in which the same shall be incurred, or the person having incurred the same shall happen to be, in a summary way.
All pecuniary penalties herein-before imposed by this Act shall, when recovered in a summary way before any justice, be applied and disposed of in manner herein-after mentioned; that is to say, one moiety thereof to the informer before any justice, and the other moiety thereof to His Majesty, his heirs and successors.
Nothing in the said Act of the thirty-ninth year of King George the Third, chapter seventy-nine, or in this Act contained shall extend or be construed to extend to require the name and residence of the printer to be printed upon any bank note, or bank post bill of the Governor and Company of the Bank of England, upon any bill of exchange, or promissory note, or upon any bond or other security for payment of money, or upon any bill of lading, policy of insurance, letter of attorney, deed, or agreement, or upon any transfer or assignment of any public stocks, funds, or other securities, or upon any transfer or assignment of the stocks of any public corporation or company authorized or sanctioned by Act of Parliament, or upon any dividend warrant of or for any such public or other stocks, funds, or securities, or upon any receipt for money or goods, or upon any proceeding in any court of law or equity, or in any inferior court, warrant, order, or other papers printed by the authority of any public board or public officer in the execution of the duties of their respective offices, notwithstanding the whole or any part of the said several securities, instruments, proceedings, matters, and things aforesaid shall have been or shall be printed.
If any person shall file any bill in any court for the discovery of the name of any person concerned as printer, publisher, or proprietor of any newspaper, or of any matters relative to the printing or publishing of any newspaper, in order the more effectually to bring or carry on any suit or action for damages alleged to have been sustained by reason of any slanderous or libellous matter contained in any such newspaper respecting such person, it shall not be lawful for the defendant to plead or demur to such bill, but such defendant shall be compellable to make the discovery required; provided always, that such discovery shall not be made use of as evidence or otherwise in any proceeding against the defendant, save only in that proceeding for which the discovery is made.
Every person who shall print any paper or book whatsoever which shall be meant to be published or dispersed, and who shall not print upon the front of every such paper, if the same shall be printed on one side only, or upon the first or last leaf of every paper or book which shall consist of more than one leaf, in legible characters, his or her name and usual place of abode or business, and every person who shall publish or disperse, or assist in publishing or dispersing, any printed paper or book on which the name and place of abode of the person printing the same shall not be printed as aforesaid, shall for every copy of such paper so printed by him or her forfeit a sum not more than five pounds: Provided always, that nothing herein contained shall be construed to impose any penalty upon any person for printing any paper excepted out of the operation of the said Act of the thirty-ninth year of King George the Third, chapter seventy-nine, either in the said Act or by any Act made for the amendment thereof.
In the case of books or papers printed at the University Press of Oxford or the Pitt Press of Cambridge, the printer, instead of printing his name thereon, shall print the following words, " Printed at the University Press, Oxford," or " The Pitt Press, Cambridge," as the case may be.
Provided always, that it shall not be lawful for any person or persons whatsoever to commence, prosecute, enter, or file, or cause or procure to be commenced, prosecuted, entered, or filed, any action, bill, plaint, or information in any of Her Majesty's courts, or before any justice or justices of the peace, against any person or persons for the recovery of any fine, penalty, or forfeiture made or incurred or which may hereafter be incurred under the provisions of this Act, unless the same be commenced, prosecuted, entered, or filed in the name of Her Majesty's Attorney General or Solicitor General in that part of Great Britain called England, or Her Majesty's Advocate for Scotland (as the case may be respectively); and if any action, bill, plaint, or information shall be commenced, prosecuted, or filed in the name or names of any other person or persons than is or are in that behalf before mentioned, the same and every proceeding thereupon had are hereby declared and the same shall be null and void to all intents and purposes.
It shall not be lawful for any person or persons to commence, prosecute, enter, or file, or cause or procure to be commenced, prosecuted, entered, or filed, any action, bill, plaint, or information in any of Her Majesty's courts, or before any justice or justices of the peace, against any person or persons for the recovery of any fine which may hereafter be incurred under the provisions of the Act of the thirty-ninth year of King George the third, chapter seventy-nine, set out in this Act unless the same be commenced, prosecuted, entered, or filed in the name of Her Majesty's Attorney General or Solicitor General in England or Her Majesty's Advocate in Scotland, and every action, bill, plaint, or information which shall be commenced, prosecuted, entered, or filed in the name or names of any other person or persons than is in that behalf before mentioned, and every proceeding thereupon had, shall be null and void to all intents and purposes.