OBITUARY.

Star (Christchurch), Volume LXIV, Issue 740, 19 April 1933, Page 12

OBITUARY.

Matthew Moloney

Mr Matthew Moloney, whose death occurred this week, was born in Limerick, Ireland, in 1857, and was a son of Mr Richard Moloney. In his early youth he came to New Zealand on the sailing ship Caroline from Kingston and, after a long voyage, landed at Port Chalmers. These were the days of opportunity in Otago, and, alter farming for a time, he was employed by Mr J. B. Reid, of Elderslie. His love of horses was born in the Valley of Golden Vein, in Limerick, which is famous for its hunting. In the ’eighties Mr Moloney was actively engaged in the extension of the telegraph in the South Island, particularly in the erection, under Mr Logan, of the main lines in Otago and Southland. Later he was appointed mechanician in Dunedin, and in 1897 he came to Christchurch. For a number of years he concentrated on improvements to telephonic communication, and brought out a transmitter, which proved to be an advance on earlier models. He visited Great Britain and the Continent in 1910 to exploit the improvement. While in Dunedin he was associtaed with Mr Charles May, inventor of a fire alarm, and became interested in the expansion of metals as a means of indicating the presence of undue heat. He brought out a thermostat which became widely used. He had been living in retirement after a tour of America in 1920. He married Miss Sarah Stewart, of Dunedin, who survives him. He Laves a family consisting of Mrs H. A. Rhind, Mrs R. L. Kennett, Misses A., K. and PL Moloney, Mr R. S. Moloney, DeputyPublic Trustee at Dunedin; Mr W. M. Moloney, of Fox Films, Brisbane; and Mr J. K. Moloney, solicitor, of Christchurch.