The Sun.
London, England, 1866-05-29 00:00:00

The Trade of South Staffordshire.

BIRMINGHAM, Saturday Evening.
The hardware trades of this town and district
have nearly all been languid during the past week.
Many large firms, aware of a scarcity of orders,
freely availed themselves of the occasion of Whit-
tide holidays to close, either wholly or partially,
their works. The panic, which a fortnight ago shook
our entire commercial system, has left traces of its
influence here which it will require many months to
efface. The depressed state of the money-market,
the repeated failures in the metropolis, and the pro-
bability of a Continental war, are causes amply
sufficient to discourage enterprise and reduce ope-
rations to the narrowest limit.

Here, as may be supposed, every failure announced
in London reacts with injurious force upon every
department of manufacture. The stoppage of the
European Bank created some astonishment and un-
easiness in this locality, from the circumstance that
this bank, some time ago, took to the London, Bir-
mingham, and South Staffordshire Bank, and for a
short time carried on business in this town.

In reference to particular branches nearly all
the staple trades of the town are quiet. Many of
the firms have the good fortune to have a supply
of orders in hand which they received some time
back, and these enable them to keep their men
employed. The advices sent home by the factor
travellers have been during the past few days by no
means encouraging, and their tenour is to the effect
that a continuance of the present dulness may be
expected for the next two or three months. Country
shopkeepers order with reluctance, and the district
travellers, who here represent London houses, are
not pushing much to obtain orders at present.
Some firms, however, enjoy an exceptional pros-
perity, among which may be mentioned manufac-
turers of heavy material, such as engineering tools
and implements, hydraulic and other lifts, &c., and
for these some large engineering contracts for
India and the East are in hand. The demand for
black ironmongery and builders sundries has de-
creased. The light steel toy manufacturers and
cabinet brassfounders are tolerably well supplied
with orders, but dulness prevails in the edge tool,
electroplate, and fancy trades. There are some
useful orders in hand for metallic bedsteads, for
foreign markets. Labour is by no means in good
demand, and outworkers are not so well employed
as they were ten days ago.
The foreign trade continues dull, and little im-
provement can be expected so long as money main-
tains its present high price.
The iron trade of South Staffordshire, as may be
anticipated, is languid. Orders now received for
finished iron are almost nominal, and home and
foreign orders are not easily met with. The specifi.
cations distributed at quarter day have been worked
out, and the deficiency of orders places buyers at an
advantage of, at least, ss. per ton compared with
official prices. At the works very little has been
dune during the week, both employers and em-
ployed appearing well pleased to keep Whitsuntide
holidays. Home consumers now buy just sufficient,
and no more, to supply actual requirements.
A meeting of the creditors of Messrs. Hartshorne
and Ward, anchor and chain manufacturers, Queen's
Cross, Dudley, was held on Saturday morning.
Messrs. Hartshorne and Ward made an offer of 10s.
in the pound, ss. to be paid down, 2s. 6d. in six
months, and 2s. 6d. in twelve months. The liabili-
' ties amounted to £19,040 15s. 3d., and the assets
to £9,115 11s. 9d., leaving a deficiency of £9,925
3s. 6d. The offer not being accepted, the meeting
was adjourned. On Thursday, at an adjourned
meeting, Mr. C. E. Swindell in the chair, a report
of the committee of investigation was read, and it
was decided that an assignment of the whole of the
partnership property should be made to Messrs. C.
E. Swindell, W. Hargreaves, and F. J. Roberts,
jun., as trustees for collection and realisation for
the benefit of the creditors. The members of the
firm agreed to comply with the terms of the resolu-
tion.

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