The Inquirer & Commercial News

The Inquirer & Commercial News was a newspaper published in Perth, Western Australia from 1855 to 1901.^[1][2]

In May 1847 Edmund Stirling acquired The Inquirer from Francis Lochée, who established the paper in August 1840 together with William Tanner. Tanner disposed of his interest in the paper in June 1843. In July 1855, The Inquirer merged with The Commercial News and Shipping Gazette, which was owned by Robert John Sholl, to form The Inquirer & Commercial News, in the joint ownership of Sholl and Stirling. Stirling's eldest son John joined the paper around 1863 and operated the paper with his father when Sholl left. In 1878 Stirling's three other sons Horace, Frederick and Baldwin joined the paper, trading as Stirling & Sons. When Stirling retired his three sons took control of the paper as Stirling Bros. On 6 July 1886 it incorporated the Morning Herald. On 17 February 1893 the paper changed format and became the Inquirer and Commercial News Illustrated until 28 December 1894, when it reverted to The Inquirer & Commercial News. In the 1880s in the Daily News traced its history to the establishment of The Inquirer.^[3] In July 1882 The Stirling Bros launched the Daily News and in June 1901, the paper was incorporated into the Daily News.

Publishing details

Its publication history was complex:^[4]

The publisher varies:

• Stirling, Sholl and Company to 10 Jan. 1866;
• Stirling and Son from 17 Jan. 1866 – 27 Mar. 1878;
• Stirling Bros. 3 April 1878 – 26 July 1882;
• Baldwin King Stirling from 2 Aug. 1882 – -6 Sept. 1882;
• Baldwin King Stirling for the proprietors Stirling Bros. from 13 Sept. 1882 – 4 Feb. 1891;
• Horace George Stirling for Stirling Bros and Co. Limited from 6 Feb. 1891 – 28 Dec. 1894;
• William Patrick Keeley for Stirling Bros. and Co. Limited from 4 Jan. 1895 – 10 Jan. 1896;
• Robert Philip Mansfield for Stirling Bros. and Co. Limited from 17 Jan. 1896 – 1 Jan. 1897;
• James Spargo Nicholls for Stirling Bros. and Co. Limited from 8 Jan. 1897 – 18 Feb. 1898;
• Robert Philip Mansfield for Stirling Bros. and Co. Limited from 25 Feb. 1898 – 29 June 1900;
• Archibald Davidson for Stirling Bros. and Co. Limited from 2 July 1900 – 28 June 1901.

Journal Dates: Vol. 15, no. 773, new series, no. 1 (4 July 1855)-v. 61, no. 3349 (28 June 1901) ^[5]

It was weekly on Wednesday until 21 Mar. 1888; twice weekly on Wednesday and Friday from 23 Mar. 1888 – 10 Feb. 1892; twice weekly on Wednesday and Saturday from 13 Feb. 1893 – 11 Feb. 1893; weekly on Friday from 17 Feb. 1893

References