The Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1860-02-27 00:00:00

TRADE CIRCULAR.

STAFFORDSHIRE IRON TRADE.
Mr. -Samuel Griffiths, in his weekly circular, says
The iron trade in South Staffordshire has -presented no
features worthy of special remark during the past week.
The most noticeable incident is the general scarcity of
"al, which prevails through these districts to such an
tent as in many cases to render it difficult to supply
the demand for the works; several of the blast furnace
establishments having frequently of late laboured under
this inconvenience in a much greater degree than
e mills and forges, - the proprietors of these
Latter being regular large customers to the coal prn-
Wietors; and as the article used for manufacturing
tlrposes is of better quality, and consequently invoiced
higher rates, the scarcity of coal up to the present
,tarte has not affected them so much as the pig makers.
Large quantities of house coal are being brought by
Tails from Cannock Chase, and the deficiency here has

likewise stimulated the trado in Durham and Darlington
cokes, in which an increased business is now being thine ;
a deficiency of rail way. trucks, however, is complained of
for this department. The business done in native pig iron
this week has been on a moderate scale, which is generally
the cast tinting the middle month of the quarter,' owitr,
to the large purchases generally made by the mann':
fatturers at quarter-day and as there is nothing either
in politics or the immediate .prospeCts of the trade to
justify extra purchases of pigs, manufacturers are
generally working into their stocks, preferring to see
the end of this month before entering into buy-
' Ing transactions for the next quarter. The pig
1 akers are likewise not 'disposed to push busineSs,
11
a'iog, ample order's on their books to carry them
through this quarter. The few sales which have
taken place during' the week have been quite
bliP, to current rates, - the stocks of best all mine brands
Clog very low in the hands of the makers. The
quantity of cinder pigs going into censumption is small,
(s then are but few furnaces in blast for this kind of
iron; the production is about 'on a par with the con-
sumption. The haematite pigs from the North are still
arriving here in considerable quantities, and are spoken
highly of by the manufacturers. Brymbo likewise
continues to supply pigs to this market, which, together
vith the Forest of Dean, give satisfaction to the manu-
facturers. The mills and forges are all fully
occupied in the manufacture of malleable iron, all
the leading houses being, tolerably well off for
Zders for most sorts, particularly for boiler plates and
°°,l4s.. The 'demand likewise continues very brisk for
nail rods, one houSe having received an order this week
for, 500 tons, in a line, of their best rods, for the Foo-
f,'°ow4oo market.. Most of the rods now made for the
Xijoa market have the bundles marked in Chinese
characters. Owing to the enormous freights now
demanded. for China direct, Iron is being shipped by
trading vessels, which take a circuitous route, and con-
spuently make a longer passage, but at reduced freights.'
he demand for common bars continues limited, on the
°ther hand, T Iron and angle bars are in fair request ; a
f specifications have likewise been received for sheets.
Thu second-rate makers have no large amount of orders on
„..their books ; specifications nevertheless, drop in week by
reh, sufficient to keep the works in full operation. The
rade in North Staffordshire continues in a satisfactory
"adition ; coal is likewise scarce here; the number of
collieries open is much greater in proportion than in the
South, and as the men work with greater regularity,
"o?tWithstanding the immense demand for the Potteries,
the supply hitherto has been adequate to the demand ;
N the works here are working full time, and the orders
1,11 hand for bars and plates are extensive at most of the
The trade in Shropshire is good for Pig iron; the
111 S who supply South Staffordshire having heavy
,
-aotracts in hand for forge Iron for this district. One
Allvio of the works are well off for orders for bars and
„tes• All are in full work ; some few, however,
ePlain of the smallness of the orders, and represent
the demand as being a little slacker. The trade of
."weaStle-on-Tyne and the Middlesborough district
eantinues 'active, particularly in the latter district,
w here large orders are in hand for rails and other
Iron for the Indian railways. The strike of the
Colliers in Scotland unfortunately still continues ;
arid the determination to resist each other by both
iron masters and colliers is reported to be unabated.;
there are 82 furnaces still damped, and the diminution
of production of Pig Iron already amounts to 50.000
rumouredtons. It is rumoured to-day, in Glasgow, that some of
the men of the Govan Works are willing to return to
their work ; we sincerely hope this is the case, as the con-
sequences of the strike are now beginning, to be felt, and it
appears to us that the longer the strtiggle, the greater the
misery of the poor men and their families, who in the
present state-of the trade must in the end give way. 'Dr
strike in Scotland-causes much anxiety through the whole
Iron districts, for however the Scotch dispute may ter-
minate, South Staffordshire, North Staffordshire, Shrop-
shire, Wales, and other districts, could not., . with the
present price of Iron, entertain the question of enhanced
labour. The. official list of prices of Staffordshire
finished Iron is as follows:—Common Staffordshire
bars, £7 10s, at the works ; best bars, £8 lOs ; sheets,
9 ; doubles, £lO 10s; nail sheets, £B'los ; latin, £l2 ;
boiler plates, £9 ; best and best best in proportion ;
common rods, £7 10s; hoops, £8 10s; gas strip, £8 ;
Canada lates, £l2 ; and all other sorts in propro-
portion.P It must be understood that these are the
°,,",eial fees. Current prices of Pig Iron : . Star-
f-NshireP Cold blast, £4 10s. ; native hydrate pigs,
158, to £4 2s. 6d. ; first-class all mine grey forgetl.chigB, £3 10s. to £3 155.; good mine pigs, with a moth-
" ,111 of flue cinder, £3 to ss. ; mine pigs, deterior-
ated by cinder, £2 15s. to £3 2s 6d.; grey• forge cinder
Vtrs' iron, £2•lss. to £2 17s. fd. White forge cinder
£2 10s. to £2£3s. Melters, Nos. 1,2, and 3,
all. 17s. 6d. to 2s 6d. ; superior makes of
mine melting Iron £3 10s. to £l, according to
Loan
and quality. Favourite Shropshire and Forest of
brands, £4 10s. Metals : The recent convulsions
'1 the money market, occasioned by the restrictive policy
Of the 4_
Bank of England towards a certain class of
traders have no doubt operated most unfavourably upon
!11 metals, which • depend so much .for their steadiness
and value on the regularity and even tenor of the money
arket. Speller has suffered considerably; the price
how must be considered £2O 10s. to £2O 15s.
=per ton.
Str £l3O, banca £136105. Smelters maintain
fiae , s
cl rates for English. Copper: The market quiet, little
En„ smelters firm, Lead : Spanish
1q better
offering; `
better demand; English maintains the late improve-
ent• Tin Plates continue languid ; selling at the low
rates4sa mentioned last week. Regulus : French Star,
". Quicksilver : Price £7 per bottle, less 3 per cent.
ij cash. • Swedish Steel : Swedish scarce; price £lO
B*, equal assortments.

The Board of T retrns for the month of January
ave just been issued andu sent
repr 1'9,366,497 against
49,573,423 in 1859, 'radeand £7,221,600 in 1858.
Liberal
NIGHT'S
_DIVISION.—OnIy one English
-V)eral voted for the notion--viz., Sir Ti', Baring. The
1t11,411 Roman Catholics, Bowyer, Greene, Hazard, Lever,
I.°3', and the O'Donoghue were in the minority.
nty-eight Conservatives voted with the Govern-
enillt we •
Lord Stanley and Sir S. Cairns were absent.