The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1869-10-16 00:00:00

IRONMASTERS QUAITERLY MEETING.

The qnarterly meetin:s of the Ironrnasters of
of the distriat and of Slrepshire commenced at
Wolverhampton on Weenesday afternoon. The
attendance was the sans as it has been, in the
ordinary way, of late years ; the trade in the im-
mediate locality waR airly represented, and
there were present agots of some buyers con-
nected with the export trade ; also the represen•
taf,ives of the principal Irma in North Stafford-
shire. In reference to the state of the trade,
the prevailing opinion ippeared to be that it is
rather more active thanit was three months ago.
Consumers show more lisposition to buy than
they did at that time, aid it is thought that the
prospects of the trade ate in some respects more
favourable than they he been of late, to this
extent—that there is a chance of the works be-
ing more fully engaced,but not of any improve-
ment in prices. The mincipal firms are getting
the rates as fixed at the preliminary meeting.
but any attempt to:obtait an advance npou them
would have a most prejudicial influence upon
the welfare of the trade, It was mentioned on
Wednesday that the few firms who have to.
embarked into rail mating in South Stafford•
shire are well engaged, and it is thought that
that venture may he to come extent successful,
whilst the demand for rails is brisk, no' with-
standing the disailvantrwes at which South Stiff-
. fordshire stands for producing that class of fill.
, felled iron, as compared with Smith Wales.
The actual buyera pteaent at this meeting did
not close their contracts on Wednesday ; that
was deferred for the meeting at Birmingham on
Thursday ; but some consumers have shown
their confidence by sending in orders for iron
sufficient for a month's use,
The make of pig-iron in the district is about
the same as it was throe months ago. There
has been a small increase of the furnaces in
blast; but the price of hot-blast, all mine-iron,
has not varied to the extent of is. Id, per ton.
A cause of anxiety, and one much discussed at
this meeting, is the threatening attitude which
the men are assuming in reference to an advance
in the wages scale. It was hoped that the mat-
ter would go off, especially as there seemed to
be net much heart about the business at its ori-
gin ; hut in the course of thia week meetings
have been held, and the tone of them has been
such as to indicate that the men are disposed to
press their claims. Be the result what it may,
It is quite certain that the masters cannot afford
to concede an advanoe of wages at the present
prico of iron,

The Quarterly Meeting of the Tronmastera of
this district was held at the Birmingham Town
Hall, on Thursday afternoon. The assembly I
was later than it ordinarily is, and the attend.
ance was comparatively small at the commence
ment, lint ultimately the hall was well filled, and
the various interests of the trade were thorough-
ly represented. As at Wolverhampton, on the
preceding day, there was a general cencurrence
of opinion that there is rather more animation.
A better demand is experienced for common iron
mainly in consequence of the Welsh houtes
being full of orders for rails. The works on the
Wolverhampton and Bilston side of the country
are not so well situated in the way of orders as
they are on the Stourbridge side, and in searee'y
any instance are they more than two-thirds eit-
g tged ; still the trade is better in many rospects
tlrin it was earlier in the year, and for some
makes of iron buyers could not place their or-
ders on quite an good terms as they might have
done a mouth ago ; there call, however, he no
doubt that a paal quantity of the iron which is
being sold realises very low prices. The nature
of the linsiness transacted on Thursday shows
that there is a fair demand for finished iron on
the part of home consumers, but as the Baltic
ports will lie closed in a fortnight or three weeks,
it is not likely that there will be any more orders
this season on account of Russia; the same with
regard to Canada, so that whilst there is every
prospect of the trade preservin,g steadiness at its
; present measure of animation, nothing of posi-
tive improvement is probable until the spring.
Upon the whole, there was more of satisfaction
. than otherwise at the result of Thursday's meet-

ing.
The North Staffordshire men in the Hall re-
ported that tbe trade in that quarter is more no
tive, and that they are obtaining somewhat bet-
ter prices.
The4e is a fair demand for pig,-iron. We
quote South Staffordshire, all mine, hot blast.
4.3 7g Gd to ..£3 lOs per ton; cold blast, £4 to £4
51; Shropshire. hot b'ast, 4;3 lOs to £3 1•1's Gd ;
cold, £4 is to £4 10s per ton.
The movement on the p.irt of the men to ob-
tain an advance of wages was again much dis-
cussed on Thursday. It was considered that in
the event of that claim being 4.r .ssed (which is
improbable) incalculable mischief would result.
It would frustrate whatever prospect there may
be of an improvement in trade hereafter, where-
as if the men remain quiet there is a pr.ibability
of their obtaining in the spring that which they
now seek. The masters are well disposed to
concede an advance as soon as the state of
prices will admit of it. For some reason the
majority of the masters of the South Stafford-
shire district are cot disposed to submit the wa•
VMS question to arbitration, as has been done in
the North ; but were Mr. Kettle to be called in,
and armed with the same powers as he had in
the North, it would be found that the men urn
,t:etting the same scale of wages now no when five
more per ton were obtained for iron than at this
moment. The millmen have little cans° for
eomplalnt, but the paddlers have rather a hard
time, their earnings being small by comparison.