PRINTED & PUBLISHED BY HIS MAJESTY'S STATIONERY OFFICE.
To be purchased directly from H.M. STATIONERY OFFICE at the following addresses:
Adastral House, Kingsway, London, W.C.2; 28, Abingdon Street, London, S.W.1;
York Street, Manchester; 1, St. Andrew's Crescent, Cardiff;

or 120, George Street, Edinburgh;

or through any Bookseller.

1926

Price 15s. Od. Net.

Z

661 .G78

INTRODUCTORY NOTE.

THE present work has been compiled from despatches received in reply to a communication from the Foreign Office to the heads of His Majesty's Missions abroad, requesting them to transmit the latest information available on legislation concerning the Press in the various countries to which they are accredited. The book owes its origin to Mr. Lewis S. Benjamin, formerly of the Foreign Office; it was at his suggestion that it was undertaken, and the editors are indebted to him for seeing it through its early stages.

While an endeavour has been made to make this collection fully up-to-date at the time of publication, the delay entailed in communicating with more distant parts, and the imminence of new legislation in certain countries, may render it impossible to give any guarantee that the book contains the text of all the relevant laws which have recently been promulgated. The editors are also unable to accept responsibility for the accuracy of the translations. Care has been taken, both by the editors and by translators abroad, to present satisfactory versions, but it is far from easy to render technical legal terms into intelligible English, and the inherent divergences between the systems of jurisprudence of different countries has made this part of the work more difficult than was anticipated.

It has been thought unnecessary to prepare English translations of those laws which are issued in French, a language which may reasonably be assumed to be familiar to nearly everybody who is likely to be interested in the contents of this volume. Finally, it should be explained that the present collection of laws is issued in the hope that it may be of general use to those who are engaged in work connected with the Press, rather than as a manual solely for the use of lawyers.

128 TURKEY

130 UNITED STATES

The Press Laws of Foreign Countries.

ABYSSINIA.

THERE is no legislation specially affecting the Press.

ARGENTINA.

ARTICLE 14 of the Constitution provides that any inhabitant may "publish his ideas in the Press without previous censorship.' There is no special legislation affecting this right, and the only restrictions upon it are those contained in the Penal Code and other enactments of a more general nature: e.g., Articles 177 and 178 of the Penal Code and Article 21 of the Penal Code Amendment Act, dealing with defamation, and Articles 12, 19 to 24, and 26 to 28 of the Law of "Social Defence" (No. 7029), dealing with various other offences.

AUSTRIA.

FEDERAL LAW OF APRIL 7, 1922, REGARDING THE PRESS.

SECTION I.-General Provisions.

Article 1.

THE freedom of the Press is guaranteed. It is subject only to the limitations prescribed by the present law.

Article 2.

1. The term "printed matter" within the meaning of the present law includes all writings, pictures and music reproduced by mechanical or chemical means for the purpose of circulation.

2. A newspaper (periodical) within the meaning of the present law is printed matter, the contents of which are not limited beforehand, which appears under the same title in successive issues (parts, copies), even though at irregular periods, and the separate numbers of which are connected by their contents, even though each one may be complete in itself.

66

Article 3.

Circulation," within the meaning of the present law, is the sale, the retailing, or the distribution of printed matter, its display, placarding, or exhibiting, and any other action which renders it accessible to an extended number of persons.

Article 4.

1. The "Printer," within the meaning of the present law, is the
owner of the printing office. If the undertaking is directed by a
manager, or is leased, the manager or lessee becomes responsible
under the present law. Nevertheless, the owner of the printing
office and the convicted person are jointly and severally rsponsible
for the payment of fines imposed on the manager or lessee, and for
the cost of the legal proceedings.

2. The obligations and responsibilities of the printer also apply
to any person who produces printed matter, but who is not a printer
by trade.

3. These provisions apply also to the publisher.

Article 5.

1. If several fines are incurred under the provisions of the
present law, each one is to be separately imposed.

The same applies to imprisonment in default of payment of fines;
the total duration of such imprisonment shall not exceed one year.

2. The publisher, the owner (newspaper proprietor), and the
convicted person are jointly and severally responsible for fines
which may be imposed for infringements of the regulations or for
punishable offences arising out of the contents of a newspaper, and
for the cost of the legal proceedings. The owner (newspaper
proprietor) is also responsible for fines imposed on the publisher.

SECTION II.-Trading Rights and Similar Provisions.

Article 6.

1. No special permission (concession) is required for the
carrying on of a business, the object of which is to produce, sell, or
lend printed matter.

2. The registration of a business not limited to specified goods
or classes of goods does not confer the right to trade in printed
matter.

3. With this reservation, the provisions of the Trading Regula-
tions apply to the printing trade, except as may be otherwise
provided in the following articles.

Article 7.

Every person who is entitled to the unrestricted management of
his property, may sell newspapers and printed matter of his own
production in the place chosen by himself. He must duly inform
the local organs of public security (federal police officials, political
authorities of the first instance) of the place so chosen.

Article 8.

1. Persons who, under the Trading Regulations, are entitled to
trade in printed matter, are also entitled to solicit orders for printed

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