diff --git a/build.xml b/build.xml
index 6bc5e5c5c..0548f277d 100644
--- a/build.xml
+++ b/build.xml
@@ -214,7 +214,6 @@
   <selector id="needs.javamail">
     <or>
       <filename name="${ant.package}/taskdefs/email/MimeMailer*"/>
-      <filename name="${ant.package}/listener/MailLogger*"/>
     </or>
   </selector>
   <selector id="needs.icontract">
@@ -1568,7 +1567,7 @@
           <exclude name="${optional.package}/sos/SOSTest.java"
                    unless="tests.and.ant.share.classloader"/>
           <exclude name="${optional.package}/vss/MSVSSTest.java"
-                   unless="tests.and.ant.share.classloader"/>         
+                   unless="tests.and.ant.share.classloader"/>
           <exclude name="${optional.package}/TraXLiaisonTest.java"
                    unless="tests.and.ant.share.classloader"/>
           <exclude name="${optional.package}/metamata/MAuditParserTest.java"
diff --git a/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/listener/MailLogger.java b/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/listener/MailLogger.java
index 333da239e..baa26afa5 100644
--- a/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/listener/MailLogger.java
+++ b/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/listener/MailLogger.java
@@ -62,9 +62,9 @@ import java.util.*;
 import org.apache.tools.ant.BuildEvent;
 import org.apache.tools.ant.DefaultLogger;
 import org.apache.tools.ant.Project;
-import org.apache.tools.ant.taskdefs.email.MimeMailer;
 import org.apache.tools.ant.taskdefs.email.EmailAddress;
 import org.apache.tools.ant.taskdefs.email.Message;
+import org.apache.tools.ant.taskdefs.email.Mailer;
 import org.apache.tools.ant.util.DateUtils;
 import org.apache.tools.ant.util.StringUtils;
 import org.apache.tools.mail.MailMessage;
@@ -155,14 +155,14 @@ public class MailLogger extends DefaultLogger {
 
             String mailhost = getValue(properties, "mailhost", "localhost");
             int port = Integer.parseInt(getValue(properties,"port",String.valueOf(MailMessage.DEFAULT_PORT)));
-            String user = getValue(properties, "user", null);
-            String password = getValue(properties, "password", null);
+            String user = getValue(properties, "user", "");
+            String password = getValue(properties, "password", "");
             String from = getValue(properties, "from", null);
             String replytoList = getValue(properties,"replyto","");
             String toList = getValue(properties, prefix + ".to", null);
             String subject = getValue(properties, prefix + ".subject",
                     (success) ? "Build Success" : "Build Failure");
-            if (user==null && password==null) {
+            if (user.equals("") && password.equals("")) {
                 sendMail(mailhost, port,  from, replytoList, toList, subject, buffer.substring(0));
             }
             else {
@@ -266,8 +266,16 @@ public class MailLogger extends DefaultLogger {
     private void sendMimeMail(Project project, String host, int port, String user, String password, String from, String replyToString, String toString,
                           String subject, String message) throws IOException {
         // convert the replyTo string into a vector of emailaddresses
+        Mailer mailer = null;
+            try {
+                mailer =
+                    (Mailer) Class.forName("org.apache.tools.ant.taskdefs.email.MimeMailer")
+                    .newInstance();
+            } catch (Throwable e) {
+                log("Failed to initialise MIME mail: "+e.getMessage());
+                return;
+            }
         Vector replyToList = vectorizeEmailAddresses(replyToString);
-        MimeMailer mailer=new MimeMailer();
         mailer.setHost(host);
         mailer.setPort(port);
         mailer.setUser(user);
diff --git a/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/taskdefs/email/Mailer.java b/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/taskdefs/email/Mailer.java
index f61d2c116..5c17e557a 100644
--- a/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/taskdefs/email/Mailer.java
+++ b/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/taskdefs/email/Mailer.java
@@ -64,7 +64,7 @@ import org.apache.tools.ant.util.DateUtils;
  * @author roxspring@yahoo.com Rob Oxspring
  * @since Ant 1.5
  */
-abstract class Mailer {
+public abstract class Mailer {
     protected String host = null;
     protected int port = -1;
     protected String user = null;