The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1876-05-06 00:00:00

THE IRON TRADE.

THE REDUO LIONS IN PRICES.

WOLVERHAMTON, WEDNESDAY.
The businesi of the district has been slightl
improved by the reductions in q iutatious
recently &dared. The position in resp(C Li
profits if best fieishee-iron houses hes net been
ralproved by tee tower rates, siece the best Staf-
fordshire pigs have not come down to so low e
level as the reductien of 20s. in finis ied iree
would warrant. No little surprise was expressee
oy some firms that Messrs Bareows should have
dropped their plates as much as 403. Thus, the
plates of this web-known firm, which were e-
fore 20s. in advance of most other houses, are
new level with them. The drop in other leading
ins tutees does not exceed 20s. Secoud and
third-class irou is about a shade easier that. la-t
week. There was only tittle business done.
No more in this than in any other of the irue
snd steel making districts of the kingdom
there tiny lack of faith as to the future ; ad lee
lieve that we are on'y for a tiute under a chyle.
.ii .1 at.totig.,6L f lith ere preparie4
Ahi m: t'!ti tile y.oton aS 0 ruipoe”er-.
I, tie faite tti tog' r tie,
white, neaten to the men efaeturt. of tA.t . A -
.litoins to the e•XlAito2.tucallS Of ploAtte.loo
at-
wideß observatee. In two cAst•S its tunny
ocw sheet tails in all are being lii it“,%n. 1;
tli st• ito:tioveg !rot 111 tilti llil to ii ;hefi st
splatity. hi- Nt f - of thk.eutit -ii iii,
the tie,euhs.l hms l•r a ftw 110'5 p
ii si-i-Ltuin uh.,,t h r ii, lli)i,.lll.tion*
twremiqmtp, staii tor toe best ',iota.. tit; Lie-
alittot 1148 bc,ll 1nojnrittstly great-r. h.
periecei .1.1 to 'Attieit tee slatupiag procees me,
eeen brouglit I,Olptiy pt,,fflot,es the Litheness
best sheets. Nor wid it be the fault of souk
people ii good sheet-iron is not soon employee
in other departments of man tiLlet un.
It has long been suggested that sheets shoute
be more frequently used in the making of rail
way carriages. An attempt to practically carry
out this suggestion is now being made in a new
quarter. To the order of that firm sheets are
now being rolled in South Staffordshire, to be
worked up into railway carriages.
Colliery proprietors were to-day expressing
regret, but no great surprise, that the collie' it
should hitherto have shown no inclination to ac-
cept the (der made by the Coaineasters' Associa-
tion, at their last meeting at Dudley, to NVO:-Ii
longer hours and win higher waees. So far as
the cohiers have as yet expressed an opinion
upon the point, that opinion has been threc:lv
opposed to the acceptance of the offer. At a
meeting of colliers at Biiston, on Monday night,
the pronounc<iment of one speaker was that the
colliers would live upon one meal a day rather
than work longer than eight hours, and it is
significant that the remark was applauded. But
the conviction of thecolliery proprietors was no
less strong today than previot sly that iii ire hours
must be worked before the p( anion of the collier
any more than that of his u aster, is much jo-
proved. His position just now is so bad that it
came out at the same meeting that, in the 01:
Hiu district, ceitain of them have worked only
five shifts in eight weeks. Colliery-own, rs this
afternoon exoressed a decided wish that more
definite action should be taken on this question.
Since no change can be made within six months
under the terms of the existing agreement re-
gistered by the Mayor of Birmingham, these
eollieryowners if they could rule wou;d have the
six months' notice at once served, with a view
to carrying out, if not the precise terms of the
proposal wade officially at Dudley, at least the
putting-on of of one more hour per day.

rho reduotiou of £l. per ton in marked iron,
which was declared lest week, has brought out a
few of the orders held buck by merchant and
conautumers on quarter day. Sheets more
especially are in request, and in some instances
preparations are in progress for increasing the
, production of this class of iron. P atea are
comparatively neglected, and to this circum-
stance may doub,less be attribn' ed the excep-
tional fall of .t 2 per ton in Messrs. Bareows's
plate quotations. The prices of leading makers
now are as follow : —Marko I bars, £9. ; sheets,
£ll. to £12.; boiler plates, .211. Messrs. Baldwin
quote £t6. tor their 13 sheets, " \\Tilden," and
£lB. for " Severn" brand. Common iron in