WHEN SILENCE IS GOLDEN

NZ Truth, Issue 1262, 6 February 1930, Page 8

WHEN SILENCE IS GOLDEN

Aston Intrigued Science, but iSlhtoc^ Publican ;

LANGUAGE OUTSIDE HOSTELRY

(From ' 'N.Z.. Truths. Special Christchurch Eepresentative.) iiitititiim 1 1 it tin ii ilium iiitiiii'ii umii i iiiti ii ii imiiiii f iitii 1 1 itf mii m ii) iii ii itiiiiiitiiitiiiiiiiiiiiMiiMtiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiJiiiitiriitfftiitfritrifiwtcdftKirfifiitirtcit-^ I Though JGrordon Percy Aston and his qhromadyne j I ; ta^^yeilp > x^.smce''c^4Bed'to'^erest the public, Aston f J: still continues ip g^in-fp^licity, though perhaps it is | ;|;..- not bfrth^^a^^^ 1 1 : A feys| moiitn^^^ago Asto^ii waatlie focussing point 1 I for the gaze^.bfvtlie^wprld's scientists when he claimed %• I : -that^his';xi|yi''flashm£f4hrpugh his mysteriPus formula of | | chemicalSj/had. produced shining nuggets of gold. §

' .?iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiuiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiHiiiiiiiiiiniiiiiuiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiMiiiiiiimiiiiiiii HIS goid making and hopes of revolutionising the currency system : of the worid are. almost, forgotten. Aston the alchemist, is now plain Aston, but his activities m other directions continue to remind the public of Christchurch that he is still with them. When the gold "discovery" had almost petered out, Astbn figured as the principal m a weird financial arrange-, ment on; a motion picture undertaking, and was -^awarded second place ' In a civil action claim. Now he figures m a new role. " .

: Aaton may have been able to make gold— unfortunately Dr. Marsden's report was shelved 'without the public being made aware of his ' finding I—but1 — but there are some thing's he cannot do, and .one of them is to get a drink from a tired publican late at .night. Aston evidently likes his beer, and because he could not get it when he wanted it he became abusive • and told the licensee of the hotel what he thought of him

( Though, admitting this much, Aston declared that his main purpose m visiting the hotel was to obtain accommodation.

The hotel he visited, the Bower, is situated. on a quiet spot, facing the river Avon, between Christchurch and New .Brighton. His language there was as colorful as his chromod'yne ' ray, and consequently he was charged m the Christchurch Magistrate's Court with using Insulting language. He was represented by Mr. W. F. Tracy* who entered a plea of guilty to the charge. Senior-sergeant T. Shanahan said' that on the nighj: Aston had used the language he had called at the Bower Hotel at 11.15' o'clock m a taxi. Besides the taxi-driver, Larsen, a man 'called Titchener was with him. ' At the time the licensee of the hotel, Patterson, and his wife were m bed. Aston knocked on the door, and Mrs.

iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimiiiliiiiiimiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii|iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii(iiiiiiiiii;iiiiiiiT: Patterson put her head out of a win-' dow and asked him what , he .wanted,; arid he replied: "What about a few' spots?" -r Mrs. Patterson told him to go away, but he continued to knock, and then Patterson went to the window and ! asked him what he was doing there at that time of .the night; Aston also told him that he was . wanting spots, but Patterson said that there was nothing doing. Aston and his companions then went into the' 1 yard of the hotel and started rolling beer barrels about, said Seniorsergeant Shanahan. Patterson and ; Mrs. Patterson then went to the door and asked them to

go away. Aston became angry, and used • the language complained of. Mrs. Patterson got m between her husband and him and asked him not to strike- Patterson 'as he was only just out of hospital. After they left] the hotel the men went to North Brighton where Aston informed the constable that he had been refused accommodation at the hotel. Mr. Tracy said that Aston's main object m visiting the hotel was to get accommodation. He had work to do m the district on the following day. Counsel did not. think that the language was as lurid as it usually was m such cases. It "was used only when Aston was threatened by the licensee of the hotel. Larsen would say that he waß threatened, but that statement would be argued. ■■;■'■' That Aston had gone to the hotel for accommodation 'was. borne out by the fact that he afterwards complained to the constable, said Mr. Tracy-. Aston will now have to tmix his chemicals and flash' his chromodyne ray again, so that he will be able to produce two golden sovereigns with which to pay the fine Mr. Mosley.imposed on him, . V ,