February 17, 1981

The Reagan Administration, having organized a team of officials to deal with international trade issues, is now moving to speed up a drive to eliminate Government hindrances to exports. At a White House meeting last Thursday of the Trade Policy Committee, which is headed by Bill Brock, the United States Trade Representative, decisions were made to press for relaxation of the following trade disincentives: - A kind of double taxation of Americans working abroad, who are hit by both the host country's tax collectors and the Internal Revenue Service. - Antitrust and banking laws that prevent American companies and financial institutions from banding together in foreign sales activities. - The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, which puts American companies at a disadvantage with rigorous controls over commissions paid to foreign representatives and stiff penalties for violations.

The A.F.L.-C.I.O. issued a statement today opposing wholesale cuts in Federal programs, calling for job and training programs for the unemployed and supporting tax relief for the poor and for industries and regions in economic difficulty, rather than general tax relief. The statement also spoke out against high interest rates and the deregulation of natural gas. While the executive council of the organization did not directly criticize President Reagan's approach to dealing with the nation's economic ills, it nonetheless set a series of economic goals that would be in direct conflict with those Mr. Reagan is expected to propose Wednesday. Old Positions Reaffirmed Lane Kirkland, president of the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations, said at a news conference later today that the policies put forward by the executive council as its quarterly meeting began at a luxury hotel here were in large measure reaffirmation of positions long held by the federation. In the context of President Reagan's impending statement of economic policy, however, they represent a challenge to the new Administration's plans.

Twelve years ago Sandra Petker and her family moved from the Canarsie section of Brooklyn into a house in Rosedale, Queens, that they had bought for $40,000. While her two daughters went to school and her husband worked distributing beverages, she plunged into community work. For years, as president of the Parent-Teacher Association of Intermediate School 231 and then as a member of Community School Board 29, her main project was to organize a junior high school in Rosedale. The I.S. 231 annex that opened in 1977 on the upper floor of Public School 138, at 252d Street and Weller Avenue, became a focus of community pride for Mrs. Petker and other white Rosedale residents - and a rallying point to stem the exodus of whites from the community as blacks moved in increasingly. Although Mrs. Petker's children are now in college and she is no longer on the community board, she was at the forefront when protests broke out in the community earlier this month over the closing of the annex.

In a sports article Saturday dealing with Rick Cerone's salary dispute, and again yesterday in Red Smith's col- umn, Jesse Simons was identified in- correctly. Mr. Simons, the arbitrator who ruled in the dispute, left New York City's Office of Collective Bargaining 11 years ago.

SCIENTISTS have long wondered why various species of animal, including human beings, sometimes produce lopsided ratios of male to female offspring. For example, in two species of seal it has been found that females giving birth early in the season produce 12 males for every 10 females. Those who pup late produce a male-to-female ratio of 8 to 10, evening the score. Human mothers under stress tend to produce fewer boys than girls.