Hughes' Labor Policy Welcomed By State AFL-CIO Convention

Independent Senate candidate H. Stuart Hughes yesterday took on all three Kennedy brothers in an, address, nine times interrupted by applause, before the Massachusetts AFL-CIO convention, the Associated Press reported.

Addressing the 1,200 delegates, the Harvard history professor won applause for advocating the 35-hour work week as "the logical first step in solving the problem of automation." He commented that "I am the only senatorial candidate addressing the convention who takes labor's position on this all-important measure."

He also called for raising the minimum wage to $1.50 an hour, opposed a ban on secondary boycotts, and won further applause when he assailed the McClellan committee because "it has defamed labor's good name and threatened its basic rights."

On the arms race, he said labor should not find itself "dependent on unstable government contracts which can be cancelled overnight when a weapons system is declared obsolete."

"This happened," he said, "at Republican on Long Island, N.Y. recently and 13,000 men woke up without work."

Challenging not only the Democratic nominee, Edward M. (Ted) Kennedy, but also the record of President Kennedy and Atty. Gen. Robert F. Kennedy, Hughes said:

"Everyone knows that Robert F. Kennedy was the attorney for the McClellan Committee and that his brother, John F. Kennedy--with the aid of Archibald Cox, now solicitor general, drew up the original labor bill that was the father of the Landrum-Griffin Bill.

"Despite this, most people seem to be convinced that the present administration in friendly towards labor. Why? Because a handful of labor leaders are on a first-name basis with the President?

Despite Hughes' friendly reception by the delegates, it is highly unlikely that he will be granted the state AFL-CIO's formal endorsement. Recommendations for endorsement are made by a six man executive committee next week, and then go to a separate endorsing convention for approval.

The interest aroused by the Independent candidate yesterday did not prevent Joe Cass, an officer in charge of endorsement recommendations, from indicating that his committee would consider only the Democratic and Republican candidates.

"There are some things you can do," he said with a shrug, "and some things you can't."