The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1873-07-19 00:00:00

THZ IRON TRADZ.

WOLVERHAMPTON, Wednesday.
The makers of first•class iron assert that it
is probable that prices will have soon to revert
to the position they occupied at the time of the
reductions a few weeks ago. The same view is
held by men of much experience engaged in the
Lancashire iron-making and tiron-shipping
trades. In support of their position these
authorities quote the high, and they say pro-
bably higher, prices of fuel of all kinds. The
business done on 'Change here to-day, or that
has been done in the past week, does not en-
courage any such anticipation. A quieter state
of things at the works we have hardly ever
known so soon after the quarterly meetings.
The majority of cousuiners have set themselves
sternly to resist the prices now demanded for
nearly all iron end hardware goods, and are buy-
ing only very insignificant quantities. Yet all
admit that if only reasonable prices prevailed,
then that a good trade would be done. Right
and lift the blame is laid upon the colliery pro-
prietors, whose extortionate demands are affect-
ing disastrously the whole district, from the
proprietor of the blast furnace and finished irou
works, down to the humblest workman in the
vermin trap trade of Wednesfield. The sus-
ceptibility of the chief proprietors to anything
like open trading is something striking, and the
efforts by coutbitiation of colliery owners in every
little locality to secure combined action is pro-
ducing the " rig " from which the whale district
is made to severely suffer. For nearly every
locality, however, there are men who are bray.
log the " underselling " taunt of their com-
peers. Thus it conies about that, whatever may
be said to the contrary, coal is leaving the Bios.
wich district at 3e per ton under former quota-
tions, and also in the Wolverhampton district
coal is to-day being offered at 15s a ton, for
which, a fortnight ago, 10a was refused. It is
, believed that the number of such vendors will
fast increase, so considerable is now the falling
off in the consumption for all works purposes.
The Shropshire wiretnakers decline to reduce
their prices more than .£1 per ton, notwith-
standing that the pig-iron quotations of that
district are reduced fully that amount. In or.
dinary times the reduction on the finished
article would be twice that upon the raw. The
makers assert that they cannot act upon the
rule now, because of the greater price of coal,
in particular, than at any previous date.
The impulse which the high prices of iron in
this country is giving to the production of the
niet sun those foreign States in which it has
not only been long an article of manufacture. ,
but in those likewise where it has not before
been produced, is giving rise to a considerable
enquiry in this district for iron making
machinery, to be use-I far beyond our own
shores. 'roe blast furtiacea:and rolling machinery
ordered some time ago on account of the Bur-
mese Empire have been got nearly out of hand.
At the same works (the Phcenix Foundry, of
)lessrs. Claridge, North, and Co.) machinery
has just been put in hand on account of Sweden.
Throughent that northern kingdom the making
of iron and steel is extending very rapidly, and
the Bessemer process is being widely adopted.
The makers aro utilising their watet•power, and
are compelling it to do work requiring great
force. This will he inferred from the circum-
stance that a 1133-lioree power turbine is being
constructed for one of the firms in Sweden.
This, too, is being produced by the engineering
firm just mentioned.
Scene additional impulse should he given to
the demand for machine and foundry work by
reason of a drop of 20s in castings. Messrs. I'.
Perry and hoe, ,d the iliglifields Foundry, near
Bilston, have issued a revised list, in which they
quote chilled rolls of 12 to 22 inch £2O perton ;
and smaller BiZeR, £2l lOs to £26 pm. ton.
Their part-chilled rolls are £l7 104 to £2l lOs ;
and grain rolls and housings appear at ..£l3 and
npwarde.Ms-re. Perrry are actively employed
noon their patent machine made tooth wheels,
which are being much adopted, not only in this
district, but likewise in South Wales and on the
west coast :at I throughout Yorkshire, on ac-
count of the absence of jar and noise, mid the
consequent economy in working, not of these
wheels alone, but of the other machinery to
which they are usually geared. even when the
revolutions are often at a very high speed.

There was never u;time when the irontnasters
even of Staffordshire and elsewhere were more
prompt in adopting real improvements in
inachinery, throughout their rolling mills in
par;icular. Not only are machine-made tooth
wheels now greatly preferred, bat patent chilled
pillions are in demand alike at Messrs. Perry's
and also at Messrs. J. and S. Roberts's (Swan
Villa!r). Illese pinions are the invention of
Mr. Wheeldon, of Messrs. Perry's works. In
sizeA, varying from 7inch to 26 inches diameter,
some forty and fifty ironrnaking firms have
already adopted the chilled pinions. The result
is, th it in !his case the delays which are cften
seri.mi in Vie middle of an order much pressed
for shipment are now avoided, at the same time
that the cost of recasting is not entailed.

TIIRO VT 411.1 cTioNs AND HOARSENESS.—AII suffering
',Di tita!ion "1 the throat and hoareness will be Agres-
ti Iv •urelitvd IA the almost immediate relief afforded
by the Die f " Brown's Bronchial Trochee." Thome
(amens "lozenges " are now sold by most respectable
chemists in this country, at le 101 per box. People
troubled with a hacking cough," a "slight cold," or
bronchi sl diections cannot try them too soon, as similar
troubles, it all..wed to progress, result in serious Palma-
' .'r7 4,1 Ast hoiatiC :tteetiOns. See that the words
lirown'a Brum: aial Troches" are on the Government
I ire saa around each box.—LOndon Depot, 498 Oxford-