The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1879-11-08 00:00:00

MR. CHAMBERLAIN ON THE IRON
TRADE.

A special meeting of the South Staffordshire Wages
Board was held on Tuesday at the Queen's Hotel, Birming-
ham, to consider an application on behalf of the operatives
for an advance of wages. The men contended that the state
of trade fully justified an advance, whereas on the part of
the employers it was urged that the application was
premature.

After the discussion the president, Mr. Joseph
Chamberlain, M.P., gave his award. He said he
would, in the first instance congratulate both the
employers and the representatives of the men that
they were met under more favourable circumstances
than they had ever done before, if there was not a
permanent and settled improvement, at all events there
was an improvement, and one which they all hoped was
the commencement of a better state of things. He
was glad the main facts upon which the claim for
an advance in wages was based were practically ad-
mitted by both sides. It was not denied that there
had been an advance recently in the price of iron, and
they saw great activity in the demand for iron. Proof
of that was given not only in the statements that
had been made, but by the sudden and remarkable
rise in the shares of the various iron companies, all
pointing to a general impression that we were on the
eve of a considerable improvement. He was afraid
he took a rather pessimist view of the situation—that
the advance was to a very large extent speculative, and
he doubted whether the improvement could be sus-
tained in the presence of one of the worst harvests
that the country had ever known. Had it taken place
in a good harvest, he should have had the greatest
confidence that it would continue, and that the pro-
sperity would increase. Further, the increase in de-
naand was bringing about an immenseincrease of pro-
duction. Everywhere works which had been out of
employment were being re-started; and he did not see
how any very large increase in the price of iron
could be sustained under the circumstances. There
was one thing, however, which was satisfactory,
and that was that the demand from America
was a perfectly genuine indication of the real
Improvement in that country. In every branch of
trade in that country there had been a vast improve-
ment within the last few months. He thought it was
a mistake in saying that the demand for America only
extended to raw materials, for only the previous day
he heard of a very large order for finished goods being
sent to Birmingham by the manufacturers of the same
class of goods in America, on the ground that they
were unable' to supply themselves with the wire
rods out of which these goods were manufactured.
No similar demand had for years come to Eng-
land, and he thought they might look forward to
the improvement in the American demand being
permanent. The bad trade began in America,
and spread to other countries, and perhaps the
improvement which had commenced there would in
the same way spread to other countries. On the occa-
sion on which the last reduction in wages was made, it
was admitted on behalf of the employers that it
brought the wages of the men to a starvaLion point,
and that it was the lowest reduction that the men
ought to be asked to accept, and that nothing but the
terribly exceptional state of trade at the time in-
duced the masters to make that demand. He there-
fore thought they were now ca!led upan with the first
sign of improvement to make some moderate ad-
vance upon the wages which had been hitherto granted.
If the improvement was genuine, then a small advance
was not likely to check it; but on the contrary, if it
was speculative the sooner they found it out the better
it would be for the trade, and it would be competent
for the employers to call another meeting of the board
to claim that the step should be retraced.

The President then decreed that on and after the
17th inst. the wages of luddl. 1:4; 76. 6i. a ton short
weight, and the wages of the tonnage men be advanced
5 per cent., a month's notice to be given on either side
for a reconsideration of the same.