The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1874-06-06 00:00:00

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SATURDAY. JUNE 6, 1874.

'l' 11 E IRON 'I'RADI.

ANOT II ER REDUCTION

11-alim• (Nles:rs. Philip \Vit-
li:titi nit lls t., of thi• IVi•illit•slur.% Oak
hi liii the ',lieu of his iron /2.
a too. ~N[tr,•ii. now, ther,..fore
112. ; „ ; • sheets, /I I, per t on. all
tit I i vi V lti•ittis's prices tilt!. now,
tliur,•to •... • lii t i :11e-srs. B.
Thoro .. I Wolverhampton.
This morn, ;at iniation v,as u,ecired
from Me 5,..1.- 1 Co. (Mr. W. 0.
-Foster) • p:irol to exe-
unt,.•i; hl Iron Com-
oni. of their
fur:: ; to induce
the •1. a. • , rooon that less dittleulty
than ~. • .; . u\perittneed in the
ill is. it %US stated, are
I est'.t'riti in several
dire 1. I • men are got together
by lb, ammsters appeared this
afternoon to be unable to ..rak with autho-
rity as to their being union or non-union
01 en . Minh Was said of the fool sit threats
lilt lii thu own at Wiwk and certain
tasters who empliiy them have re-
Intl such conduct, whilst it Wits de-
utis ilei•lareil to itpan indiention of
in tin. cause. Nothing w-ts
day present lir prospect ive alteration
'ion of the masters relative to the

Wlliell SOll
Of the ni:
ceivell ; a]
n .aiicetl,

1!11 tir/11N. Wednesday

wmtkness
Still of RI
It the net

strike. The views expressed this afternoon I
were that it must wear itself out. Mean-
time, very little difficulty is experienced in
getting iron by the merchants. Sonic few
bars_may be had at lo guineas a ton ; but
there were no lower quotations to be had this
afternoon. Messrs. Onions, who have a
single furnace at Dudley Port, ha vi- put it
into blast IlL!:1111. fterstanding about a month.
It is stated that the firm are able to obtain
coal easily.

The discovery of coal in the Sandwell
Park sinking has imparted a more cheerful
tone to the iron trade of the district, and
the sample shown on 'Change on Thursday
of the six-yards seam found at the depth ef
418 yards was pronounced to be of very ex-
cellent quality. If the correlation of the
Staffordshire and Warwickshire coalfields is
to be an established fact, the question as to
whether Staffordshire can hold its own
against other iron-producing centres may be
considered as settled. In no other part of
the world is there to be found coal that can
be compared to that produced in South Staf-
fordshire, and from ',the proximity of Ilir-
minglutm with the coal mines, this town
must take the lion's share of the national
benefit arising from the recent discoveries.
The reduction just announced by Messrs.
Williams and Sons, of Wednesbury Oak
Works, has had an effect on prices, second-
class makers having already brought down
their quotations so close to the prime cost of
materials and wages that they cannot, they
say, make any further change in favour of
buyers. The numerous failures in the iron
trade that have taken place in the district
during the past two or three months are said
to be acting as a warning to many ironmas-
ters not to sell at less than cost price, which
it is believed was done by several of those
who have lately come to grief. There is a
fair demand for iron, and paddlers are kept
as busy as they are inclined to be. Sheets
for galvanising were in good demand on
Thursday, and pigs were firm at prices quoted
last week. The in strike continues,
but iiili neighbenthcod if Bloxwich opera-
tion, lin vi keen resumed in several of the
colleries a liii reduction, and Clnalmasters
I, ok forward with confidenee to a speedy
termination of the difficulty by the men giv-
ing way. Had there Innol recently one of
those sudden spurts in the iron t rade which
were witnessed daring the past threi• year:.
the miners would no doubt be still at work
at the ohl prices, bat eon! would in all pro-
bability Imre advanced so that the colliery
iiroprictors would not have suffered. but
trade bas been very langaihh and it WaS said
on Thursday by gentlemen who should know
the feeling of the masters, that the men have
now no more chance of getting the old prices
than tin v had the day after they struck
work. It is considered by ninny 1111 aston-
ishing fiict that the nut le nit us or leadvm of
Is,th men and masters have not before now
matured a scheme in the coal t rade similar to
that existing in the iron trade by which the
rate of wages is based upon the avera,,e sel-
ling privy if the goods. The arm imement,
as tarried out iii the iron trade, is very simple
and equitable, and it is believed to have pre-
vented many a strike in the trade since its
adoption.

14 North Staffordshire there is scarcely
any variation to note, the demand being of
retail character. Quotations for finished iron
are lower, crown bars being offered at £lO
;"is per ton, bridge plates at £l2 los, and
boiler plates £l2 lr.s. The demand from
South Staffordshire for paddled tvirs, which
was checked by the setting in of the Mai-
-1 days, has not been restored.

MEETING OF MINERS AT OLD HILL.
There was a large meeting of miners held
at the Duke William Inn, Old Hill, on Wed.
nesday evening. There were between 300
and 4.1)0 persons present. Addresses were
delivered by the miners' local agent, Mr.
Haden. and Mr. Jugyins, of Darlaston.

Mr. Haden, in his opening remarks, said
they had met for the purpose of talking over
their present position, and making arrange-
ments for the future—(bear, hear). The
masters wanted to crush out the Union., hut
he was glad to tell them that they should be
able to stand out a little longer, unless the
masters were willing to refer the matter to
arbitration. The money came rolling in
every day. so that they need not fear. He
pressed upon them the necessity of still
holding together, and not turning blacklegs,
and by so doing they would be able to come
IT victorious.

Mr. Juggins, who was then intruidueed,
said he was not a miner, but the son of a
miner, and he had always taken an interest
in the mitiers—(heaf, hear). The masters
wanted to keep the *en in one continued
state of serfdom, lint he was glad to see the
men resisted the oppression. and were de-
termined to have then' rights—( 1le:1r, and
(dicers). The masters say they must have
interest on their capital. the labour was the
labourer's capital, and therefore they ought
to receive just wage as interest on their eapi-
tal—(hear, hear). He was glad to see that
the nailers were doing so well. Theirwages
were :311 per cent, higher now than they were
a short time ago, and he had no doubt that
the miners would receive better wages in
future. He did not wish to leave any money
legacy for his children, but to leave the
country in a better state for them, so us to
enable them to get a position, which would
be better than a legacy. The mastert4 said
they could settle the dispute batter without
the aril:itr. No doubt they were always
cunning in the road, but he was glad they
had got an agitator, as the inastrrs called
them ;it was the means of keeping them
(the men) together, like a bundle of sticks.
masters knew that they eonlil break the
men one by one, but they could not liceak
the lot combined—t a Voice: Never). Th,.
masters haul been very cruel towards the
men, and the country ought to take the
matter in hand. There should he towns'
meetimes to protest against the Unlawful
conduct of the oppressors. The masters hail
asked him if the IWM were never to blame.
1-1, honestly confessed that they were some-
times ; but they only wished their rip.hts, for
which they were determined to tight. lie
W:is Had that other tnides had assisted the !
miners, for they N 1 CIV I II worthy of aid,
and men ive could not do without. He had
brought them IA and should have brong,ht
muurc, lint they haul sent various sums to
other parts of the country. If they could
stand sixteen weeks' strike when they had
Ito union, he was sure they could stand it
now ; and the benefits earned by the Cnion
nien ought not to be possessed by non- "talon
men. He urged them to stand fast, and
hoped to come again soon to help them, if
the masters did not give way.

After a vote of thanks to the speaker, a
resol Ut 1011 as passed as follows :—`• That
we resist the unjust measures which our
masters nre trying to impose upon us, and
we shall not submit till t he matter he brought
before a Board of Arbitration.-

Mr. Watts (local agent), and Mr. Gething
(agent to the Wednesbury and Darlaston
district), a resolution was passed unani-
mously to the effect "That the colliers pre-
sent still expressed their willingness to sub-
mit the differences between themselves and
the masters to arbitration or a Court of Con-
ciliation ; but in default of either of these the
meeting pledged itself to continnethestrike."
. .

. _
Mr. Ilethirm, in the course of his speech,
said there had been a meeting of the men in
his district, and they had decided to give
£5O towards the support of the men on
strike in Dudley, Brterley Hill, and Old
Hill districts.

1