What was going on when I was born?

ON a sunny morning in April 1967, Ron Perla found himself on ski patrol perched atop a block of snow, many hundreds of yards wide, that was itself perched above a long, slick ski run. Suddenly, the snow gave way under his weight, touching off an avalanche. Beneath thick blankets of powder, Mr. Perla was carried half a mile down the Utah mountain at about 100 miles an hour. He fell unconscious. Rescuers later told Mr. Perla they had dug him out of an icy tomb - the fingers of his left hand were all that had shown above the snow piled at the bottom of the slope.

The Japanese Government today approved its most austere national budget in 26 years. The action is intended to reduce the Government's sizable deficit and thus keep its 4 percent inflation rate in check. But the budget is not likely to stimulate domestic consumption, which officials have been hoping would grow enough to reduce trade surpluses and thus ease trade frictions with other nations. The new budget for the 1982 fiscal year, beginning next April 1, was approved by the Cabinet in a special session and sent on to the Diet, the Japanese Parliament, where it is expected to be approved late next month with few changes.

International Sanctions against the Soviet Union for its role in the imposition of martial law in Poland are expected to be announced today by President Reagan, according to senior Administration officials. Mr. Reagan, at his California ranch, made decisions on what were described in Washington as ''measured steps'' against Moscow after receiving the recommendations of his advisers by phone. (Page A1, Col. 6.) Key Polish factories remained closed or were working at far below normal production on the first working day after the Christmas holidays, according to reports from Warsaw. Opposition to martial law was apparently persisting despite attempts by the military authorities to restore a sense of normality. (A1:4-5.)

Major airlines yesterday matched the sharply lower fares announced by Delta Air Lines last week in an effort to increase passenger traffic between Florida and major cities in the North and the Middle West. Eastern Airlines, by far the largest carrier in the huge New Yorkto-Florida market, appparently acted reluctantly. Walter Dane, vice president of sales and services for Eastern's Northeast region, said the lower fares would not generate enough new passenger traffic to offset the loss in revenue. Nevertheless, when the new unrestricted coach fares go into effect on Jan. 6, passengers aboard Eastern, Pan American and Trans World Airlines flights, as well as Delta, will be able to fly one-way between New York and major Florida cities for $114 from Monday through Thursday and $135 Friday through Sunday. Mr. Dane said it was the lowest New York-to-Florida fare in at least two years.

Park T. Adikes, chairman of the Jamaica Savings Bank, is no ordinary banker. His attire - he wears a large silver chain draped over his tie and a wide belt buckle with a color picture of a duck flying over water - as well as his banking ideas have made him a maverick in the industry. But his bank, the 18th largest in New York City, may stand out more than Mr. Adikes. In the third quarter, one of the most difficult in memory for the thrift industry, Jamaica Savings showed a profit of $497,000. That may not be much, and it does reflect a recapture of taxes from past years, but only three other of the city's 38 savings banks were in the black during the period. Jamaica, which was founded in 1866 and now has assets of $1.4 billion, has outperformed the battered savings industry by taking a number of bold steps, not the least of which was its decision to stop investing in long-term bonds about 15 years ago.

The Reagan Administration decided today on economic and political sanctions against the Soviet Union for its role in the imposition of martial law in Poland. Details of the planned moves were not made public, but President Reagan is expected to announce them on Tuesday, senior Administration officials said. Poland's former envoy to Japan, who defected last week, said in testimony here today that, under Soviet pressure, the Polish authorities had been preparing for martial law since March and that ''the real screenplayers and conductors of the Polish drama sit behind the Kremlin walls.'' (Page 6.)

The Federal Reserve Board reported yesterday that the nation's basic money supply fell $1.9 billion in the week ended Dec. 16, in line with the expectations of credit market analysts. The Federal Reserve also said that the previous week's M-1B, which consists of currency plus all checking accounts, was revised upward by $1.7 billion to reflect data obtained from smaller financial institutions. The Fed had originally announced an $800 million rise. ''If you look at the $1.7 billion revision and subtract it from the decline reported, it would leave the current M-1B level almost unchanged,'' about as the marketplace had anticipated, said Robert Jones, chief economist for Money Market Services. ''So, in terms of the level of M-1B, there wasn't any significant shock to the marketplace.''

E. Leo Milonas, who has administered New York City's courts for two turbulent years, was named yesterday by Governor Carey to the Appellate Division of State Supreme Court. Judge Milonas, who is 45 years old, will be the youngest member of the First Department of the intermediate appellate court, which sits in Manhattan. His appointment, effective Jan. 1, leaves vacant the politically sensitive job of deputy chief administrative judge in New York City. The holder of that post oversees the work of 450 judges and 5,000 employees of the city's judicial system. Each year the city's courts process more than one million cases.

WORLD By WALTER SULLIVAN FOR the first time, a ''test-tube'' baby, conceived in a laboratory dish, has been born in an American hospital. Elizabeth Jordan Carr, weighing 5 pounds 12 ounces and described as ''perfectly healthy,'' was delivered yesterday morning at Norfolk General Hospital in Norfolk, Va. The birth, which came two weeks ahead of schedule, brings to at least 15 the number of babies born in this manner. The rest were in Britain and Australia, although one was born to American parents in England. About 100 women have become pregnant through the same procedure, five of them in the United States. At least five American clinics are treating infertile women in this way, but so far with meager success. Nevertheless, reliability seems to be improving rapidly. The time when it becomes standard treatment for several causes of infertility may be drawing near.

What does an agency charged with dealing with energy problems do when the only apparent problem is a lack of conviction that a problem exists? For the International Energy Agency, the 21-member organization formed after the 1973-74 oil embargo, the answer is to use the time saved in not having to confront short-term crises to work harder at warning of the dangers of complacency about long-term problems. So, for example, top leaders of this small organization are giving more speeches with titles such as ''Energy Vulnerability in the 1980's.'' And the agency, which has an annual budget of $10 million, has sought publicity for its various communiques with more determination.

The Union of American Hebrew Congregations will announce today that it is establishing in New York City a $25 million ''television library of Judaism,'' the first of its kind in the world. Rabbi Alexander M. Schindler, president of the major organization for Reform Judaism, is expected to disclose the plans at a meeting of Jewish educators in Denver. The first three programs in the television library will be available next week, according to a speech Rabbi Schindler plans to deliver to the National Association of Temple Educators.

LETTER FROM BEGIN ASSURES MUBARAK ON SINAI'S RETURN TEL AVIV, Dec. 28 (By The Associated Press) - Prime Minister Menachem Begin reassured Egypt today that Israel would complete its withdrawal from Sinai on schedule this spring despite violence by settlers there who oppose the move, the Israeli radio said. The radio said Ambassador Moshe Sasson of Israel delivered a sevenpage, handwritten letter from Mr. Begin to President Hosni Mubarak. The broadcast said the letter also discussed Israel's reasons for annexing the Golan Heights, a move Egypt has criticized. Ambassador Sasson did not reveal the details of the letter. He said he expected President Mubarak to visit Israel in February, the radio said.