Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-06-19

as can be found in any avenue of life.
Among the many efficient leaders is James
F. McHugh of the International Stonecut-
ters Association of North America, who by
his persistent efforts has obtained many
an advantage for the trade which he rep
reSents. These benefits consist in securing
shorter hours. better wages and improved
conditions for members of his craft en-
plOyed on public buildings.
Since taking up his residence in Washing
ton Mr. McHugh has devoted much of his
time apart from the interests of his own
trade to the promotion of the cause of or
ganiZed labor generally. He served for sew
eral terms as president of central bodies
with which are affiliated all tie labor or
CARNATIONS of the District of Columbia,
and has been honored with many civic Of
fees. He was chief marshal of the largest
labor parade ever held in Washington, and
/ was appointed one of the mounted aids at
the Inauguration of President Roosevelt.
Mr.. McHugh makes himself felt wherever
he goes. He has been frequently called
upon an arbitrator in labor disputes and
is noted for his fairness and impartaiity.
His organization is one of the first internal
tionaI unions to establish national head
quarters in Washington, having been To-
Gated here in 1858. The offices were re-
moved to Philadelphia in 1857. and to sew
eral of the larger cities subsequently, but
have been here. located at 52U 9th street
northwest, for the last twelve years, and
probably will never be transferred else
where.
r. E. Sturges. carpenter who has spent
two years in Panama. and who is on leave
of absence, which he is spending with rela-
tives in Pittsburg tells an entirely differ
ent story regarding the conditions of the
workers in the canal zone from that re-
lated by others who have returned to the
United States.
He states that he boarded at the isthmia1
canal commission hotels for nine months
before he moved his family there, and in all
that time he had little of which to COM
plain. He does not claim that the meals
are of the Delmonico standard, but asserts
that for good, wholesome food they all
| that could be desired. In his experience he
never found any cigarette butts in his soup
ment made by one man that the soup was
| filed with sand Sturges characterizes as
rot
1t has been charged by some that fire.
quently the men lose their meals because
| the trains which carry them to work start
| to move out before they have started to
eat and they are forced to jump up and
| leave the tables or get laid off If they do
not report for work The coupons col
lected when the men enter the dining hall
( and they therefore are out not only their
meals, but also the coupon. Sturges says
that during the time he lived at the hotels
he never lost a meal on this account
II never saw a-waiter get fired because
he gave a man a second helping" said Mr.
auested and obtained second dish of some
thing that proved particularly palatable.
was never charged extra for this and
never heard Of a waiter being discharged
or arrested. as asserted by some.
1T may be true that Secretary Taft and
the congressional committees were given
better layout when they were down there.