The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1869-01-02 00:00:00

PRELIMINARY MEETING.

The preliminary meeting of the ironmesters
67 South StaTordshire and East Worcestershire,
in anticipation of the quarterly meetings, was
held on Thursday last, in the banqueting room
of the Birmingham Exchange. These meetings,
it may he useful to state, have, up to the early
part of the year, been held at the Hen and
Chickens Hotel, New-street, but owing to the
increase of members since the Ironmasters' As.
sociation was organised on a new basis, Mr. Old-
field, the proprietor of tho hotel, has found it
necessary to procure the use of a more spacious
apartment for the preliminary meetings. The
meeting on Thursday was, we are informed, a
fall being attended by representatives of all
the leading houses. Mr. George Barker, whose
year of office had expired, resigned the chair to
Mr. Walter Williams, who, on assuming the pre-
' sidency, proposed a vote of thanks to the late
I Chairman for his valuable and efficient services.

These complimentary matters over, the state
of the trade was discussed at some length. It
was on all hands admitted that no alteration in
prices was possible, and a resolution to adhere
to present rates for finished iron was carried
Pn;iginlonsly. iu tne Millie of the discussion
some surprise was manifested at the falling-off
In the demand, and regret expressed that there
w.ts no immediate prospect of an advance either
in price or wages. At the close of the business
tie members dined together, as usual, at the
Hen and thickens.

Toere was only a moderate attendance at the
weekly meeting on 'Change. General satisfac-
tion was expressed at the result of the prelimi-
nary meeting, bat there was very little business
tr))nsacted either in pigs or finished iron.
Is the North Stutfordshire iron trade the year
.10,e almost its cheerlessly as it commenced,
the anticipations of improvement with the new
your which were held a few weeks ago having
beta gratholly abandoned, and the date of im-
provoment nestinmed till the end of the that
quarter. The year has not boom a very unevent-
ful crte. Oa its second day Cie toasters decided
t ) re-arrange wages on a fair letiu," or stop
work; and such was thy elite of the trade that
tno nitut, uf.er an unimportant protest, acceded
t.) a reduction of 10 per cent. Trade still con-
t'uned flat till the owl of the first quarter, when
fi ishod and pig in were more in demand, and
t ) works wore employed atbout four days a week.
a. en '.i. lii! South Statfor.ishire strike, and
e ,osoquent

e,l an apparent Iriika3is in the
?, which proved but tcuip mory,
roo which not only eh
. kept the 1,11.1,14 EA ut work
•. :Als the ti,d it the
.•. . • of iron, hat par-
:: • : . .• „ • .;••.i the SIILdb.../' sizes see-died
, • •o, :mil ;it the iltices then

r , Houle for tl,livery to the
,• y, sth fn fiaishea iron ant pig
111 Ca!l.iliOi forgea Nv,ro enabled to
work nt;.0.1.,- foil thao, in a groat ile0101:1eee, upa
ordoes fir the Ras iion and North°Europoan
tualketi3, wlikh were generally only required fur
deAvery. Being unable, however, to

obtain any general ..dvanco in price:3, manufac-
turers held back, and were nuwiding to cuter in -
t: forward contrdets for any lengthened period.
Since thea thercii it been a gradual diminution
of basinced, and i ic now conceded by the most
sanguine that the ti ide is not strong enough to
bear an advance, o.:ch attempt in that direction
having had the eli'ect of checking orddrs. Ou
the whole, a fair trade has this year been done
with the North of Europe, from which quarter
there are prospects of still better things in
1809.