The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1873-04-26 00:00:00

THE IRON AND COAL TRADES.
(From Monday's TiMeB.)

Trade was kept back a good deal in the North
Shielde district through the hi days of last week, and
to, great amount of business was done until Wednesday.
Business kept inanimate all the week, indeed. There
were no-. many new orders in the coal-market from any
part of the world, either foreign or coastwise. Mer-
chants must be running themselves very bare, in hopes
of a fall in the price of curie, or they secure a supply
from other gushers. Any way, they succeed in
keeping out of the market week after week, to the
astoniehment of those) concerned in the coal trade in
the North. If there were any material falling off
in the demand for the iron districts the present
state of affairs in the coal trade would soon pull
down pricss very rapidly, but there is little in-
dication of that. Coals, however, are s great deal
more plentiful. Consumers have no difficulty in pro-
curing what they want within a reasonable time.
Paces all round may be stated to be a little above 20..
Per ton for the best qualities. The official rate of 25a.
is scarcely ever realiz-d. Workmen of all kids are
more abundant in the pit districts; the high wages
earned and the short working hours in the pits are in-
ducing a great number of young men to be pitmen.
Seamen aid farm-esrvants of all sorts are also entering
upon this class of work; so that as new pits open,
there will be little difficulty in procuring the necessary
number of hands to tarry on the work. The prin-
cipal coal-owners in Northumberland and Durham are
also expending large sums of money in building pit-
men's cottages of a better class for their work people,
and for the accommodation of the new hands who will
have to be set on when the additional shafts which
are being sunk and the new pits which are
being opened In all parts of Northumberland
and Durham are ready for working. In fact,
what may be called the crisis in the coal
trade is past, and there is a reasonable pros-
pect, no far as can be judged, that the production will
be increased, and that the demand for coals will be
checked to the extent of the economy which has been
enforced in factories and households. There is a good
deal of unemployed tonnage yet in the northern coal
ports. Freights, therefore, from the pretieureof vessel.
for employment and the limited number of orders in
the maiket, are la .wer. In some instances they have
gone down ki per keeL The ship-owners, therefore,
like the coal-owners, rely upon the merchants coming
into the market with a rush to foroe freights up iron]
their present stagnant condition. There are fair ship-
ments of iron for the Continent, especially for Ger-
many. anal a considerable quantity of goods is being
despatched from these parts to the Vienna Exhibition.
There is no improvement in iron shipbuilding, and, as
the iron steam ehippmg trade gets no better, several
North-country owners are offering their vessel, for
sale. It is thought, however, that the present dulness
in the iron shipping trade is only temporary. The
majority of the steamers building on the Tyne are of
a large class, and many of them are for Atlantic
navigation,