The consolidation or union of any two or more newspapers, any or all of which were before such consolidation legal newspapers as defined in § 17-2-2.1, does not affect the legality of the newspaper formed by the consolidation. The consolidated newspaper shall be deemed to have complied with the requirements prescribed for a legal newspaper and to be a legal newspaper as defined in § 17-2-2.1.
SDCL 17-2-3