It is a genuine privilege for me to be on the program at this Conference. This is the first time in a number of years that I have joined many of my former colleagues with whom I was associated in carrying out research on influenza and other infectious diseases. This is a pleasure and indeed it is a privilege to join this distinguished panel to discuss the important subject of the role of health organizations in future influenza epidemics. The chief role of an essential industry in an influenza epidemic is to continue to furnish to the community those essential services whose unavailability would endanger the health and welfare of that community. This means that the employees of that industry must remain healthy and productive in order to accomplish the primary objective. In the United States, of some sixty million people in non-agricultural employment, there are approximately twenty million who are employed in essential occupations, namely, those having to do with protection (policemen and firemen), health (doctors, nurses, hospital workers, et cetera), transportation, communications and other utilities, and food and fuel processing. Today, the essential industries for the most part have well-organized preventive medical services and are equipped to carry out many of the procedures that we know are necessary for the control of an influenza epidemic. I am not prepared to speak specifically for all industry, but I can assure you that I am convinced that in an emergency, the social conscience of American industry would produce Herculean efforts in the public's behalf. I can give you an idea of what would be done in the company with which I am associated, The New York Telephone Company. As the name implies, we operate in New York State and, along with eighty-eight smaller, independent telephone companies, provide the state's service. 'Ve employ about 75,000 people. We have approximately 55,000 employees in New York City, and Nassau