The Sun.
London, England, 1857-02-12 00:00:00

-THE IRON_ AND COAL TRADER'

i:~

. BIRMINGHAM, Fes. 11.
The iron trade and the trade generally of this
district has undergone very little change since the
termination of the quarterly meetings, now more
than a month ago. There is not in some depart-
ments quite so much activity as there was at that
period, but it must be borne in mind that we are
nearly through the first half of a quarter which is
almost invariably dull, and although the severity
of the weather might have been expected to create
a good deal of languor durine, flip last two or three
weeks, the drawback on that account has been very
inconsiderable. As regards transa4iOns in pig iron,
there have been very few for thelast fortnight, a
circumstance which has induced the inference in
some quarters that the trade was .amain declining ;
whereas, in fact, the small amount of business of
that kind doing is attributable to the unuusally
large quantity of pig iron sold at , quarter-day—inmany instances amounting to the
weekly
entire quarter's
make, even where the
quantity produced
is beyond the average, and where all the furnaces
are in blast. The consequence is that the pig-
masters are not anxious to sell further at present ;
whilst, on the other hand, consumers preftr work-
ing up their contracts for delivery, without enter-
ing into new engagements in the existing state of
the money marker, lest a continuance of the tight-
ness which now prevails should have a tendency to
cripple the trade in the spring. This apprehension
as to the future does not, however, check opera-
tions at this moment. There are a very large
number of furnaces in blast ;
mine pigs are firm at
4/, ss. per ton, and it is only a very inferior make
of the commodity, in which there is a large quan-
tity of cinder, that is difficult to sell ; for it there
is so little demand that prices are low, and at the
same time so varied that it is impossible to quote
them with any degree of accuracy. Ironstone of
the district
is also a
istrict maintains
considerable its price,
q quantity
ti
yof foreign
s in
There
ore coming in, which is useful for mixing with the
stone of the district, and commands a ready sale.
Limestone is lower—at Lord Ward's pits there has
been a reduction of 6d. a ton since quarter day.
The mills and forges are most of them in full ope-
ration ; all the principal makers are full of orders ;
the smaller establishments are reported to be
working up more closely, and at the foundries there
is less animation ; but, generally speaking, there
is very little to complain of—indeed, the immense
consumption of coal weekly is the best proof of
the amount of business doing. For merchant
and plating bars there is a steady demand for the
home trade ; for rods there has been more inquiry
during the last week ; and for plates there are con-
siderable orders in both for the home and export
trade. The American orders are . still small, but
there is a fair supply in from Canada, for the East
Indies, and from the Mediterranean. There is also
a tolerable demand for rails and railway iron gene-
rally, not only in Staffordshire, but in Wales and
in Yorkshire. At Park Gate a large quantity of
rails has recently been turned out ; in other
branches of the trade in that quarter there is also
more than an average amount of business doing ;
in fact, the general tenor of the reports we receive
are of such a nature as to lead to the conclusion
that the iron trade is in a healthy state. There
were rumours at the close of last week that prices
andwere
noc thatt
istherehas
bhadoe n been
_
tial,
plate
o
trade
undersellingsear scarcely
nyloofrs ttlfiei ar;n firm,
Vilitl andlexistt
most h
in a period of much
less
present.
difficulty
moneyco btin matterscontinues
than the
-
ably brisk, *notwithstanding the high price of tin,
T
which has almost invariably
he as
stin regards-
exercised a prejudi-
cial influence upon the trade ; but for some time
past the makers, both in Staffordshire and Wales,
have been full of orders, the bulk of these being for
the United States. Repeated advances upon the
price of tin must, however, ultimately depress the
trade. On Monday afternoon circulars were issuel
announcing a further rise of 4s. per e rt. on com-
mon blocks,' making the price 1465. 6d. pr cwt. ;
and upon refined blocks 25., the quotation now be-
ing 151 s. 6d. per cwt. The commodity is under-
stood to be remarkably scarce, and supplies are ob-
tained with difficulty, even for immediate use. The
coal trade is brisker than it was a month ago ; the
men are all at work, and the water having been
drained from some of the pits in the thick coal
district, the quantity raised is very large, but it is
scarcely adequate to the consumption ; and although
there is a large quantity coming in from Yorkshire
and Derbyshire, there are no stocks, and prices
have a tendency upwards. The demand for the
Cannock coal is much excess of the quantity
raised, and house coal of all descriptions is at least
is. per ton dearer than it was when we last re-
ported it ; in fact, the coal trade has seldom been
in a healthier state, even the neediest men in the
trade being a1;01.0 to command full prices.