Article III. - Presentment for Acceptance.

Sec. 143

Presentment for acceptance must be made.:

1. Where the bill is payable after sight, or any other case where presentment for acceptance is necessary in order to fix the maturity of the instrument; or,

2. Where the bill expressly stipulates that it shall be presented for acceptance; or,

3. Where the bill is drawn payable elsewhere than at the residence or place of business of the drawee.

In no other case is presentment for acceptance necessary in order to render any party to the bill liable.

Sec. 144

Except as herein otherwise provided, the holder of a bill which is required by the next preceding section to be presented for acceptance must either present it for acceptance or negotiate it within a reasonable time. If he fails to do so, the drawer and all indorsers are discharged.

Sec. 145

Presentment for acceptance must be made by or on behalf of the holder at a reasonable hour, on a business day, and before the bill is overdue, to the drawee or some person authorized to accept or refuse acceptance on his behalf; and,

1. Where a bill is addressed to two or more drawees who are not partners, presentment must be made to them all, unless one has authority to accept or refuse acceptance for all, in which case presentment may be made to him only.

2. Where the drawee is dead, presentment may be made to his personal representatives.

3. Where the drawee has been adjuged a bankrupt or an insolvent, or has made an assignment for the benefit of creditors, presentment may be made to him or to his trustee or assignee.

Sec. 146

A bill may be presented for acceptance on any day on which negotiable instruments may be presented for payment under the provisions of sections 72 and 85 of this Act. When Saturday is not otherwise a holiday, presentment for acceptance may be made before 12:00 o'clock noon on that day.

Sec. 147

Where the holder of a bill drawn payable elsewhere than at the place of business or residence of the drawee has not time, with the exercise of reasonable diligence to present the bill for acceptance before presenting it for payment on the day that it falls due, the delay caused by presenting the bill for acceptance before presenting it for payment is excused and does not discharge the drawers and indorsers.

Sec. 148

Presentment for acceptance is excused and a bill may be treated as dishonored by non-acceptance in either of the following cases:

1. Where the drawee is dead, or has absconded, or is a fictitious person or a person not having capacity to con-tiact by bill.

2. Where, after the exercise of reasonable diligence presentment cannot be made.

3. Where, although presentment has been irregular, acceptance has been refused on some ground.

Sec. 149

A bill is dishonored by non-acceptance:

1. When it is duly presented for acceptance and such an acceptance as is prescribed by this Act is refused or can not be obtained; or,

2. When a a presentment for acceptance is excused and the bill is not accepted.

Sec. 150

Where a bill is duly presented for acceptance and is not accepted within the prescribed time, the person presenting it must treat the bill as dishonored by non-acceptance, or he loses the right of recourse against the drawer and indorsers.

Sec. 151

When a bill is dishonored by non-acceptance, an immediate right of recourse against the drawers and in-dorsers accrues to the holders, and no presentment for payment is necessary.

Article IV. - Protest.

Sec. 152

Where a foreign bill appearing on its face to be such is dishonored by non-acceptance, it must be duly protested for non-acceptance, and where such a bill which has not previously been dishonored by non-acceptance it dishonored by non-payment, it must be duly protested for non-payment. If it is not so protested, the drawer and in-dorsers are discharged. Where a bill does not appear on its face to be a foreign bill, protest thereof, in case of dishonor, is unnecessary.

Sec. 153

The protest must be annexed to the bill or must contain a copy thereof, and must be under the hand and seal of the notary making it and must specify:

1. The time and place of presentment.

2. The fact that presentment was made and the manner thereof.

3. The cause or reason for protesting the hill.

4. The demand made and the answer given, if any, of the fact, that the drawee or acceptor could not he found.

Sec. 154

Protest may be made by:

1. A notary public; or,

2. By any respectable resident of the place where the bill is dishonored, in the presence of two or more credible witnesses.

Sec. 155

When a bill is protested, such protest must be made on the day of its dishonor, unless delay is excused as herein provided. When a bill has been duly noted, the protest may be subsequently extended as of the date of the noting.

Sec. 156

A bill must be protested at the place where it is dishonored, except that when a bill drawn payable at the place of business or residence of some person, other than the drawee, has been dishonored by non-acceptance, it must be protested for non-payment at the place where it is expressed to be payable; and no other presentment for payment to, or demand on, the drawee is necessary.

Sec. 157

A bill which has been protested for non-acceptance may be subsequently protested for non-payment.

Sec. 158

When the acceptor has been adjudged a bankrupt or an insolvent or has made an assignment for the benefit of creditors, before the bill matures, the holder may cause the bill to be protested for better security against the drawer and indorsers.

Sec. 159

Protest is dispensed with by any circumstances which would dispense with notice of dishonor. Delay in noting or protesting is excused when delay is caused by circumstances beyond the control of the holder and not imputable to his default, misconduct or negligence. When the cause of delay ceases to operate, the bill must be noted or protested with reasonable diligence.

Sec. 160

Where a bill is lost or destroyed, or is wrongly detained from the person entitled to hold it, protest may be made on a copy or written particulars thereof.

Article V. - Acceptance for Honor.

Sec. 161

Where a bill of exchange has been protested for dishonor by non-acceptance, or protested for better security and is not overdue, any person not being a party already liable thereon, may, with the consent of the holder, intervene and accept the bill supra protest for the honor of any party liable thereon or for the honor of the person for whose account the bill is drawn. The acceptance for honor may be for part only of the sum for which the bill is drawn, and where there has been an acceptance for honor for one party there may be a further acceptance by a different person for the honor of another party.

Sec. 162

An acceptance for honor supra protest must be in writing and indicate that it is an acceptance for honor, and must be signed by the acceptor for honor.

Sec. 163

Where an acceptance for honor does not expressly state for whose honor it was made, it is deemed to be an acceptance for the honor of the drawer.

Sec. 164

The acceptor for honor is liable to the holder and to all parties to the bill subsequent to the party for whose honor he has accepted.

Sec. 165

The acceptor for honor by such acceptance engages that he will, on due presentment, pay the bill according to the terms of his acceptance: Provided, it shall not have been paid by the drawee: And provided, also, that it shall have been duly presented for payment and protested for non-payment and notice of dishonor given to him.

Sec. 166

When a bill payable after sight is accepted for honor, its maturity is calculated from the date of the noting for non-acceptance and not from the date of the acceptance for honor.

Sec. 167

Where a dishonored bill has been accepted for honor supra protest or contains a reference in case of need, it must be protested for non-payment before it is presented for payment to the acceptor for honor or referee in case of need.

Sec. 168

Presentment for payment to the acceptor for honor must be made as follows:

1. If it is to be presented in the place where the protest for nonpayment was made, it must be presented not later than the day following its maturity.

2. If it is to be presented in some other place than the place where it was protested, then it must be forwarded within the time specified in section 104.

Sec. 169

The provisions of section 81 apply where there is delay in making presentment to the acceptor for honor or referee in case of need.

Sec. 170

When the bill is dishonored by the acceptor for honor, it must be protested for non-payment by him.

Article VI. - Payment for Honor.

Sec. 171

Where a bill has been accepted for non-payment, any person may intervene and pay it supra protest for the honor of any person liable thereon or for the honor of the person for whose account it was drawn.

Sec. 172

The payment for honor supra protest in order to operate as such, and not as a mere voluntary payment, must be attested by a notarial act of honor, which may be appended to the protest or form an extension to it.

Sec. 173

The notarial act of honor must be founded on a declaration made by the payer for honor or by his agent in that behalf declaring his intention to pay the bill for honor and for whose honor he pays.

Sec. 174

Where two or more persons offer to pay a bill for the honor of different parties, the person whose payment will discharge most parties to the bill is to be given preference.

Sec. 175

Where a bill has been paid for honor, all parties subsequent to the party for whose honor it is paid, are discharged, but the payer for honor is subrogated for, and succeeds to, both the rights and duties of the holder as regards the party for whose honor he pays and all parties liable to the latter.

Sec. 176

Where the holder of a bill refuses to receive payment supra protest, he loses his right of recourse against any party who would have been discharged by such payment.

Sec. 177

The payer for honor, on paying to the holder the amount of the bill and the notarial expenses incidental to its dishonor, is entitled to receive both the bill itself and the protest.