The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1873-02-22 00:00:00

THE IRON AND COAL TRADES.
(From Momlai's Tins

'The strike of the tnzowners on the Tyne continued
to paralyze trade on that river last week, and on Satur-
day night they were in the came frame of mind—that,
mail the Board of Trade approved the temporary ad-
vance in the rate of towage 2.1. in the chit hag, the
tugownere, while agreeing to have the point in dispute
decided by arbitraton, wonici not allow their boats to
resume work. It wait hoped, however, that by Sunday
a letter would be reerived from the Board of 'rrade,
b. reply to memorials sent by she North of Englard
St,S,ll Shipping Amooiation, approving the arcanet*
went, and that the strike monk/ clew. If it werecon•
tinuedionotiner le. AO tiva camegiateers to trode would
be very didnetroue.

Lt week the priee of housAttld coals v:sa
than esn be remembered within the present generstion.
The quotstlons in 'he Lou. loz tnarket b how tile prioe.,f
btat soFta in the Wear cihitrict to have been fron‘3s6. to

37n at the pits. The freights for London have been I
from Bs. toff& per ton. Factors do not expect household
coals to get higher at present. The pits in the house-
hold trade are working pretty steadily. Most of them
are now employed from 10i to 11days per fortnight. In
the steam coal trade ocraiowners express a strong indis-
position to have prices forced much beyond the present
figure. They range from 20e. to 225. per ton. Gee coals
are quoted at 235., but orders have been executed at
2s. 6.1. to Is, below therm quotations. The colliery
owners still report bog to' no—say from four to five
weeks; but vessels WM safely rely upon being de-
spatched sooner than this. In Cons, queues of the
recent rise in the price of coals, the Northumberland
miners are now dews, ding an advance of 20 per cent.
upon the present rates. This &dear ce will be con-
sidered by the colliery owners next Saturday, and in
the present feverish condition of the c, al trade, a con-
siderable. if not the whole amount claimed by the
men, will have to be granted. A considerable num
her of seamen and labouring men, attracted by the
nigh wages, continue to go to the pits to work as
iners ; brit, through the fiery character of many of
the pits, some knowledge of mining is required before
men can go into then to work.
During the past week, in coneeonsece of the strike
of the tug-moms on tie Tyne, and the scarcity of ton-
nage generally several of the large collieries in North-
umberland were slack, and some of them began to
wake stock. There was a great difficulty, else, in
keeping the factories upon the Tyne supplied with
manufacturing coals; but there continues to be an ex-
cellent demand at the Durham pits for manufacturing
coals for the ironmaking districts.
Several new collieries, it is expected, will be set to
work in the Durham District during the ensuing year,
and other works for extending the coal supply are being
pushed forward with great rapidity. But there is much
anxiety in the North less the present excessively high
prices charged for coals, irregularity of the delivery,
should Flooll begin to react. Manofacturers on all sides
are beginning to complain that the margin of their
profits has been cut down very considerably of late,
and that the high price of coals will soon t-nd to the
limitation of business. Though screw steamers are well
employed, the owners of them suffer a considerable
reduction of profits from the same cause. Notwith-
standing the immense demand for coals last year. there
was a diminution in shipments on the Tyne in 1872 of
160.000 tons as compared with 1871. In conmquence
of the scarcity of tonnage, rates have rapidly advanced
on the Tyne for the Baltic and the coasting trades.
Baltic quotations have opened much higher than was
generally expected. For Copenhagen the rate has been
from 111.0 to £lO 10s., with other lower Baltic ports in
proportion, and a reasonable despatch guaranteed for
loading. The French and English Channel trades are
also firm, from £lO to £lO 10a. may be quoted as the
ruling rate.
The effects of the coal famine are becoming serious
in South NVar wickshire. There are literally no stocks
in hand, and in every direction the energies and re-
sources of the coal merchants are taxed to the utmost
to keep their customers supplied. I oalyards in which
there were formerly several hundred tom] of coal
do not contain more than one or two tons at the
present time. A larte load of coal is but rarely
seen in the streets, and the coal dealers send out only
a few hundredweight at a time, "just to keep their
customers going." he poor people are paying for
small quantities at the rate of from £1 10s. to £1 15s, a
ton for coals which were not worth more than 18s. a
short time back. The price of Wyken coals went up
2s. a ton on Thursday, and other coals have also ad-
vanced. A coal merchant in the district sold his last
ton of coals a few days ego by auction, and readsed
£2 2s. 61. It was the whole of the stock in hand,
and, as there were several good curt more begging for
it, he adopted the novel plan of selling it by auction.
so that there should be no offence on account of one
customer having beers preferred before the others. In
many parts of toe country wood is being extensive'y
used for fuel, and is now sold at the rate of about
£1 Is, per ton.
The fact of some non-Union colliers at Blaenavon,
having resumed work at a reduction, annoyed the
Unionists, of whom a party marched to Abensychan
on Friday. A mass meeting was held there on Satur-
day. Members from Abersychau arid Pontypool went
to Blaenavon, and, after having a mass meeting at
Ash Tree, marched, with dilaenavon Unionists.
through the streets to influence the workers by a show
of strength. The precession broke up without any
disturbance being created. Whether the non-Unionists
at Basenavon will be deterred by this demonstration
from working remains to be seen.