The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1880-07-10 00:00:00

QUARTERLY MEETING AT BIRMING_

HAM.

The quarterly meeting of the Birmingham and
South Staffordshire iron trade was held on
Thursday afternoon. and was well attended by
merchants, producers, and consumers from the
London, Liverpool, Middlesbrough, and all the
leading manufacturing centres of the country.
An improved business feeling prevailed, mer-
chants anticipating a rising market, being some-
what eager to enter into contracts for the supply
of iron at the existing low prices. An increased
number of orders were given out by local hard-
ware firms and also by merchants on account of
the East Indian, Russian, and Australian mar-
kets. A few American orders for strips and
lhoops have recently come into the district, and
it is hoped that these are the forerunners of
others of a more extended character, as it is
believed that the check in the revival of trade in
the United States is now passing away. The
fact that some Government orders for boiler
plates in connection with the Admiralty have
also been distributed during the week tended to
raise the confidence of manufacturers. Pigs
wet e more freely demanded although an advance
of half a crown a ton was generally required.
Owing to the fact that in accordance with the
returns of the accountants to the Mill and Forge
Wages Board, ironworkers' waees will remain
unaltered on the present basis of 83 6d. a ton for
puddling during the ensuing three months,
prices in the finished iron department were
firmer, manufacturers being unable to make
further concessions now that they are dis-
appointed in expectations of relief trace lower
wages. While marked iron has fallen 10 per
cent. and unmarked iron at least 20 per cent.
in value during the past two months, Naps con-
tinue without alteration. A reduction would
have resulted from the adoption of the sliding
scale but for an addition of 6d. a ton above
shillings for pounds having been granted by the
arbitrator. Marked bar houses secured a larger
proportion of the contracts given out than they
have latterly been in the habit of obtaining ; and
this is especially gratifying, as the leading
houses have only been meagrely employed for
some time past. Qaotations for marked iron
were without alteration on the basis cf a ton
for bars, with the usual extras and Lord Dudley's
make, unmarked iron selling from £5 15s to
.£:6 15s. All-mine pig iron, hot blast, realised
£3 15s a ton ; short weight cold blast about
advance upon that figure, and common iron
from 37s 6d to 42s 6d. There was no enirna.
tion observable in the coal trade ; but any im-
provement in the iron trade will quickly react
upon that industry.
Among the mechanical appliances, as usual
exhibited on 'Change, was a model of the patent
pulley-blocks manufactured by the Imperial
Steam Pump and Engineering Company, Smeth-
wick. This patent, which combines simplicity
of construction with instantaneous and certain
action, attracted a great deal of attention. The
brake (Tow's patent) consists merely of a bar of
metal so thaped that it can be attached to either
one of a pair of blocks, and while the load is
being raised the bar is fixed in an horizontal
position on the side plate, but otherwise having
free moqon on its axis. The rope or chain of
the pulley, besides running through the sheaves,
is threaded through two vertical holes, one at
each end of the brake. When the load begins
to descend the h.ir falls, and as it does so firmly
grips the rope and holds it securely to the
pulley. The greater the weight at the end of
the rope the greater is the force with which the
brake presses on the brake. Mr. Bernard Daw-
son, Malvern Link, exhibited a model of the
Wilson gas producer, a machine of unique con-
structioropplicable to all classes of furnaces.
The Wilson producer differs from other gas
engines in being very compact, taking up but
little space. It has already beau adopted by
many leading firms in the iron, steel, meta;,
and glass trades, and promises to come into
still greater use. Me ,ses. HArris aii Pcarn a,
of Stourbridge, show specimens of their boiler-
seating blocks and flue covers. Messrs. A. H.
Bateman and Co., of Broad Street Corner,
exhibited Ransome's patent emery wheels and
specimens of metalline ; and Mr. John Lea, of
Queen Victoria Street, London, showed ex-
amples of Vena Dulce iron ore from Parcouha
mine, Somorrossa,