The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1880-01-10 00:00:00

THE IRON TRADE.

QUARTERLY MEETING.

WOLVERHAMPTON, Wednesday.

The quarterly meeting of the iron trade
was held here this afternoon, and was
largely attendcd by manufacturers and mer-
chants from the district, and of buyers from
distant places. A firm tone pervaded the
market, and inquiries were pretty frequent
as to what steps the pig makers were goino-
to take in the shape of fixing prices for the
ensuing quarter. The representatives of
the Lilleshall Company announced that
they should declare no alteration for the
present, and the basis therefore remains at
£4 for hot-air and £5 for cold-blast, but the
company are not selling at these prices.
Several best pig makers in the South Staf-
fordshire district were asking £4 10s. for
their hot-air, and from £6 ss. to £6 lOs for
cold-blast pigs. Part-mine was realising
from £3 15s. to £4, and cinder metal could
not be got under £3 ss. With respect to
foreign brands, Cleveland and West Coast
hematites were dearer, and South Wales
pigs were also higher on the week. In the
finished iron trade business was very quiet
and few orders were given out, the
majority of the buyers preferring to wait for
the B irrn La.rn. rlaQQt in ha. ro rn lr-;rt
their contracts. However, £9 was taken in
several instances for marked bars. and more
might have been done at this figure if manu-
facturers had been disposed to do business.
Unmarked iron stood at £8 16s Nail rods
and hoops fetched £B, and boiler plates
realised £ll. The same price was quoted
for common sheets, singles. Galvanised
iron is expected to be further advanced by
the end of the week. Cokes are dearer.
Coal is more in demand for ironmaking
pm-poses, and the advanced rates are secured
with little or no difficulty.

QUARTERLY MEETING OF THE IRON
TRADE.
The quarterly meeting of the Birmingham
and South Staffordshire Iron Trade was
held on Thursday afternoon, at the Exchange,
New Street, and was one of the largest and
most influential gatherings that have taken
place for some years past. Besides manu-
facturers, merchants, and consumers from
London, Liverpool, and all parts of the
United Kingdom, there were present repre-
sentatives of manufacturing firms from New
York, Philadelphia, and other commercial
centres of the United States. The American
requirements were principally for raw mater-
ial, hoops, and sheets. There was a good
demand for finished iron on export account
for South America, India, and Australia, and
a great increase of orders is expected when
the shipping season sets in, and the Baltic
ports are re-opened to navigation. General
satisfaction was felt at Mr. Chamberlain's
wages award, especially at .the fact that the
award will continue in operation for three
mths, inasmuch as this will afford an
Opportunity to manufacturers to clear off
the somewhat numerous orders that they
have in hand at the rates existing prior to
the late advance in marked iron. As the
ironworkers put in a claim for an advance of
25 per cent., they will scarcely be satisfied at
the award, but, inasmuch as the sliding scale
will come into operation on the Ist of April,
they will be somewhat reconciled to the de-
cision. The list prices of finished iron were
unaltLred on the basis of £9 per ton for
marked bars. Unmarked iron was slightly
firmer, as much as £9 5s a ton being realised
for bars delivered in Liverpool which is
equivalent to £8 15s at the works. The
average selling price of unmarked iron, how-
ever, was from £8 to £8 10s. There was no
change in Staffordshire pig iron consequent
upon the determination of the Lilleshall
Company not to raise their prices, which
remain at .E 4 for hot-blast all-mine and £5
to five guineas for coal-blast. As a rule,
however, makers secured from 5s to lOs
above the Lilleshall quotations for hot-air
pig. Common Staffordshire pig realized
from 50s to £3. In hematite pig iron there
was a great advance in price, amounting to
from £1 to 255. Cumberland and West
Coast forge iron and foundry pig selling at
£6 and £6 Ss per ton respectively. Even
these prices do not be the maximum
vvhich hematites will attain, for the demand ;
continues to be altogether in excess of the
supply. Welsh iron wire rods were raised
£2 a tun, making zi total increase of £3 10s
in about three months. Coal for manufae-
tnring purposes was in brisk demand, and
the collieries thronghont the district were
reported to be fully employed.
Various objects of interest were exhibited
on 'Change during the afternoon. Messrs.
Bateman and Co., of London, exhibited
specimens of Ransome's patent stone for
building purposes. The stone is converted

MO:

by chemical process from the flint stones
which are found in the bed of the River
Tames. The manufacturers claim for the
patent stone superior advantages to ordinary
stone, especially a greater resistance to the
atmosphere and to wet. The firm have
recently put up 1,600 yards of sea -s%all at
Margate, and they have a similar contract
on hand for Ramsgate. Messrs. Bateman
were also exhibitors of an automatic gas
lamp, together with their well-known emery
wheels, and various other specialties in
engineering requisites.