When the owner or principal owner of any newspaper in this state determines that he shall enter the Armed Forces of the United States to serve in the war against Germany, Italy and Japan, or during a state of national emergency as declared by the President of the United States, and that by reason thereof it is determined that the publication of the newspaper of which he is owner or principal owner must suspend publication, such owner or principal owner may file with the court clerk of the county in which said newspaper is located, an affidavit setting forth the fact, and said affidavit shall be docketed and recorded by the court clerk in the manner of cases filed in the district court; and any time such owner or principal owner desires to resume publication of such suspended newspaper, he may file an application with a district judge of the county in which such newspaper is printed, which application shall state the date when said newspaper was suspended and the reason therefor and pray for an order of the district court authorizing that said newspaper resume publication without loss of status as a legal publication. Upon a hearing and proper showing of fact before a judge of the district court of said county, the judge of the district court may issue an order finding that said newspaper has complied with the provisions of this act and ordering that said newspaper upon resuming publication shall have the same legal status as it possessed before such involuntary suspension of such newspaper. The application and court order provided for herein shall be docketed and recorded in the same manner as the affidavit originally filed. The court clerk shall collect no fee for filing and recording the papers required under the provisions of this act; and providing further that when any newspaper resumes publication upon the order of the court as provided herein, the original subscription list and circulation list used by said newspaper shall be used by said owner or principal owner in reestablishing its publication.

Laws 1943, p. 86, § 5; Laws 1951, p. 65, § 2.