The Sun.
London, England, 1859-06-03 00:00:00

THE IRON TRADE.

(From the 117olverhampton Chronicle.)
There has been no marked improvement in the
position of the iron trade since our last report. The
demand from America and the continent continues
to be very limited, but the demand for home purposes
is rather buoyant so far as relates to first-class iron,
and though the leading members of the trade have
not a large amount of orders upon their books, suf-
ficient are daily coming in to keep their works in fair
operation. The ultimate effect the war in Italy will
produce upon commerce cannot very readily be fore-
told. It cannot be questioned that up to the present
time it has operatsd unfavourably. Some of the
large foundries in the district are short of orders,
and in small castings there is little business doing.
Consumers of merchant iron at home are still order-.
ing rather sparingly, probably in the belief that
prices must go lower, but there is no probability of
this, as it is a somewhat remarkable fact that the
manufacturing trades using by far the largest
quantity of finished iron have been the busiest all
through the season—busy even when trade genet ally
has been reported as slack. What the condition of
the trade may be in a few months hence it is
impossible to conjecture, predictions having so
far this year failed to be realised. It is an acknow-
ledged fact that both at home and abroad there is a
bareness of stores of all kinds of Staffordshire iron,
which leads sonic to suppose that orders cannot
longer be withheld, whatever turn affairs upon the
continent may take. The coal trade is rather brisk,
arising in a great measure from the large quantities
being sent to various parts of the kingdom by rail.
Gubbin and white ironstone, the yeld of the district,
is realising from 16s. to 17s per top, according to
quality. Arrangements have been made for Messrs.
-
Cresswell to go on for the present under inspection.
ThCir first meeting under the private arrangement
clauses of the Bankrupfcy Act will take place on
the 4th of July, when it is stated an opposition will
be offered. Wliether,however,it will he of a sufficient
nature to bring their works to a standstill remains
1 to be seen, considerable sympathy having been
manifested for them by many of their creditors.
In the South Wales district the demand for iron
is steady, and railway descriptions are disposed of
without difficulty. For home consumption a good
deal has been lately sold, while orders from abroad
have not been scanty. Complaints are, however,
continuancehexa tsetne
tn.
deAd At Newport
tNoi 4 fedtwhe
pep
oii.
remts
made in many parts of the district of slackness.
7Navlialalcie.which existed last
week that coal would be considered contraband of
lew docksnia rkaeit.
et
boya
ric consider-
able iedaenr
means
full. •At Cardiff's
Na more satisfactory state .of affairs
pre-
vails: Thepstliti.ession
1 July
Nt.,,l,lhaetntilnetun
much
hw
betterdock s
exists, and at
coal Swansea considerable activity
trade there is quite brisk, It is
1 vessela will be provided than Heretofore. ayillbeop
accommodationeried fioili.
The position of the iron trade in Derbyshire,
Lancashire, and Yorkshire, owing
t
state of affairs on the continent, is dull tflatie dli
lnvaacrtlii‘l,cee,
a
are
limited whether for I
to immediate requirements.ni
hone con •
sumptton or for
exportation,nd
ori
Trade in Lis very Lancashire particularly
ry dull ; in
the Yorkshire district, where several firms are ex-
tensively engaged in the manufacturcof rails,there
is a ,slightly- better trade, though much want' of
'confidence is manifested in business circles, The
coal trade is dull except at a fewlarge firms having
extensive contracts with gasworks, which enable
them to keep up a more regular supply. The
Yorkshire coalowners have made a determined
stand against the coal trading system adopted by
the Great Northern Railway.