The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1884-01-12 00:00:00

QUARTERLY MEETING OF THE IRON
TRADE.

The quarterly meeting of the Birmingham and
Midland iron trade, which was held on Thursday at
the Exchange Stephenson Place, was one of the
most unsatisfactory gatherings that have been held
for some time past, though not marked by any
crucial changes in prices. A dull and depressing
feeling prevailed, the recent underselling haring
encouraged buyers to hope for further reductions.
The consequence was that they; withheld orders and
confined their negotiations to testing prices. Manu-
facturers were eager to do business, but were un-
able to do eo except at concessions on the ruling
rates. X ven at the minimum prices the orders
given out were principally of:a retail character. The
"IL-at" houses decided to make no change in the
value of their iron, and marked bars were, there-
fore. re-deelared at £7 10s., with the usnal extras
for the Round Oak brand, Few orders of import-
ance, however, were given out for the ordinary
classes of marked bars' though better description
for rivet, h irseshoe, chain and anchor, and engine-
ering purposes were in moderate request. The
subsidence of the American demand for English ron
was regarded as one of the principal factors of the
depression in the iron trade, and Al the quietude of
the Transatlantic markets should continue there is
but little prosepect of local improvement. Some
manniacturers expresa:d the opinion that when the
cm:anaemiai atmosphere has been cleared by the new
Baukruptey Act a sounder and more healthy busi—
ness will be done, though others seemed to think
that the Act in checking speculation will be adverse
to trade. T'ne conclusion in the railway freights
in the wire trade is encouraging mannfa livers in
other departments to continue the agitation. 13-1-
vsuise.l sheet msnufacturers are very materially
af eted now that galvanising establishments have
been opened near Liverpool, as well as on the
Thames at London, Up to the present the galvan-
ised sbeet trade arts been the mainstay of the South
4tatford4hire iron trade, and the number of works
has largely multiplied during the last few years
Mania .cturers who have established works on the
"mit, however, have a ve-y great advantage over
t.la in, as they buy the blank sheets in this district,
which are conveyed at a considerably lower rate
than the fina,he tarttcle,and the consequence is that
a saying of a .veyt or eiglit :3 a t.,n Is effected
in the caret-g'. 'rho 4,tivsnia-ms •.12 t •e
is have an advan 3.40 in obt.ining their
Arlter fro.n abroad without hieing o piy inland
triffic tames. At the nett 3 quarterly meeting of the
(kir:cased Iron Associe.tiou, wiii,da was held on
•Ch.i,o.,:e on Thu-s,lay afternoon, under the pre-
aid-mtiv 'AT-. J. P. Lacy, too r ports as to business
we-- n-ifavourable. the competition being very keen
and the d,-,nand being below the average. No reso-
lution was c-flue to wit't reference to prices, manu.
faattrers being left free to mass their own terms
with their own customers. In the tin-plate trade,
Ti the nth r hand, business was reported to be
Tether brisker and prices to be firmer, ranging from
We to 18s a box for LC'. coke, and 204 to 224 for
charcoal plates. Plain rolled sheets were very
weak in value, (tuitions at works being about £7
5s for singles and 20s extra for doubles. Tht se
ft4..eires are about 1.03 a ton lest than those of the
the October meeting. Common bars were in only
retail demand, at the low.-st pri,.;es current, but
some of the makers of medium iron have a fair
nuodoer of orders in hand, and rent.' ta accept
contracts at less than 24 63 a ton. Inf-rior
sold in some isolate I instances at as low as X 5 15s,
a tors, though the ordinary Nice for good mer-
chantable bar iron was Xi; a ton upwards. There
was no bu)yancy in the pig iron deptrtment, and
late rates could be e•itainer with difficulty Though
the standard itietions for all-mine iron were re-
declared, hot-blast pig could be bought at less 'hat)
£3 a ten at the works, or 54 less th in the nominal
rates. (littler pie.for forge pureos-s was disposed
of at 37e 6,1 to 40+ a ton. Dart), shire pig iron was
offered at 45s 6 1, an 1 Nor-hemp' on at 4-1,4 6 1, these
prioNi b•ing about 3s less th tu in October last.
West Cumberland hematit-s w re slow of sale at
Ills &I • ton delivered at least 5.4 cheaper thin three
1110tIthil ago. The depress 1.1 conditien of the pig
loin trade is shown by the fast that there are only
37 blast f irn ices in op-ration, being ten lees thae
this time or tne y and nearly 30 fewer than two
ears ago. stocks, however, are surx small, and

production is only keeping pace with consumptive
reluirements. The coal trade is exceptionally
a iguid for the time of the year. Manufacturers as
a rule have contracted well forward for their supply
of fuel, and new business is confined to the smaller
firms who buy from hand to mouth. The mild un-
seasonable weather is checking the house demand
to a very considerable extent, and causing increased
competition for the supply oZ manufacturing;
qualities. Prices remain at lOs and 9s 6d for fur-
nace coal, but forge coal is being sold at the most
irregular rates, varying from Gs 6d at the pits in the
Ca.anock Chase district to 8i Gs in the Dudley
district.
Owing to the limited accommodation available at
the Exchange at the quarterly meetings, the ex-
hibition of manufacturing appliances and mechani-
cal specialities has been abolished.