The Sun.
London, England, 1864-09-29 00:00:00

TENBURY.

The directors state in their report that the line had been
worked during the past half-year with regularity and with-
out accident. By the opening of the Tenbury and Bewdley
Railway the connection between Mid-Wales and the manu-
facturing districts of Worcestershire and Staffordshire had
been completed, and the directors anticipated a large in-
crease in the revenue of the railway in consequence of its
being an important link in the above line of communication
The directors regretted they were not is a position to de-
clare a dividend. The receipts apportioned to this company.
for the last year being less than in the preceding year, the
directors had determined to investigate the traffic returns,
and were making arrangements for that purpose.

TENBURY AND J3RWDLEY.
The directors in their report congratulated the share-
holders upon the opening of the line for public traffic, and
expressed a belief that the works had been constructed in a
substantial manner. The formation of the Bewdley and
Kidderminster Railway would be very shortly commenced.
By means of this line a considerable saving of time and dis-
tance would be effected in the route to and from the manu-
facturing districts. The capital account showed that
£112,281 had been expended, leaving L6Ol due to bankers.
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THE COLLIERS' STRIKE IN STAFFORDSHIRE.— I
The appointment of a committee at the recent meeting in
Birmingham to confer with the colliers of South Stafford-
shire and Worcestershire and their employers, with a view
to bring the present disastrous strike to a termination, has
already been announced in the Guardian. The gentlemen
to whom this task was delegated have now discovered that
notwithstanding their well meant efforts neither party to
the dispute is willing to abide by the proposed arbitration of
any mere outsiders. As regards the colliers themselves their
tone is firm and delimit. The result of a conference of the
principal iron and coal masters in the neighbourhood of
Dudley, who are affected by the strike, has also been com-
municated to the Birmingham Committee in a letter from
Mr Wm. Mathews, proprietor of the Corbyns Hall Iron-
works. The question at issue between the colliers and their
employers, he says, is one in which the trade in coal forms
but a very limited and subordinate part. "The great bulk
of the coal raised in the district under strike is consumed in
the ironworks, and the coal consumed in Birmingham and
elsewhere is too unimportant to influence in any material
degree the rate of colliers' wages. Where one collier is em-
ployed in raising coal for this trade ten probably are em-
ployed in the supply of coal to the ironworks, and the late
depression in the price of iron, particularly in pig iron, in
the manufacture of which coal is so largely consumed,
has made a reduction in the colliers' wages one of vital and
inevitable necessity," After pointing out the fact that in
other ironmaking districts, including the northern portion
of South Staffordshire, this reduction has been cheerfully
submitted to, while it has only been resisted by the thick
coal colliers in the Dudley district, Mr Mathews argues
with some show of reason, that under the severe competi.
tion in which South Staffordshire has to contend with
newly opened and cheaper ironmaking localities. to con-
tinue to pay the high rate of colliers' wages would be
" simply ruinous," and that in fact, in strict justice and
following former precedents, the reduction should be car-
ried further than that proposed. The masters, therefore,
have no alternative but to procure supplies of coal else-
where or to close their works, which they have done. Mr
Mathew adds, " Under these circumstances my colleagues
concur with me in opinion that no beneficial result could
arise from the mediation proposed, particularly as the un-
reasonable and defiant tone of the colliers at the meetin.g at
which I had the honour to preside, leaves little expecta-
tion that rational advice would be listened to. In the mean•
time the strike continues to spread, and. in several part 4 of
the ciletriot meg of intimidation occur 4aily,