PURPOSE: To detect no paper without controlling the rising of a lifter by detecting no paper position with lifter table position detecting means before paper on a lifter table is out, and the paper feeding lowermost position detection is released.

CONSTITUTION: When stacked paper on an intermediate plate 1 is sequentially fed out to lower the upper surface position, and a sensor lever 14 is inclined to a permissible lower limit level PL, a light path of an UP level sensor 809 is opened to detect the inclination, and a lifter motor 853 is driven for a fixed time to raise the upper surface position. After the last paper sheet is fed out, a projecting portion 14c of the lever 14 falls in a corresponding through hole 1a to open the light path of the sensor 809. At this time, a no paper switch 805 has already been operated by a cam 100 of the plate 1. Thus, no paper is detected by both switch signals. In this arrangement, no paper state can be immediately detected without any control for raising a lifter. Further, there is no restrictions upon quality of paper material on the storing table or light transmissivity thereof.