February 17, 1982

Henry L. Foster may have built his company from nothing into the acknowledged world leader in its field in the past 35 years. He may have set new standards of customer service, work conditions and product quality. He may have helped save thousands of lives. Nevertheless, because some people are offended by the business of breeding animals for use in laboratory experiments, and most others are uncomfortable with it, he concedes that he has learned not to bring up the subject of Charles River Breeding Inc. at cocktail parties.

The current oversupply of crude oil worldwide has caused gasoline prices in the United States to drop by at least 2 cents to 3 cents a gallon in less than a month, and analysts say further reductions are a near certainty. ''The market is in a shambles, and demand is way off,'' said Vincent Sgro, editor of Oil Buyers Guide, a trade publication that follows the prices of petroleum products. ''It adds up to a consumer's dream.'' ''You want a gas station?'' asked William Perry, owner of the Brewster Friendly Service Station in Westchester, when asked about his business. ''Business is terrible.''

A clamor for change is sounding across the Sudan A2 Hope fades for 84 lost in oil rig dis- aster off Newfoundland A3 Zimbabwe seizes property owned by Nkomo's party A4 Around the World A5 Reagan urged to stress military threat in Caribbean A6 Pope says of Poland, ''I do not lose hope'' A9 West Bank university closed again by Israel A11 Government/Politics Stein assails Transit Authority on tunnel reconstruction B2 James Emery seeks G.O.P. nomi- nation for New York Governor B3 New accusations leveled against Labor Secretary's company B5 Inquiry ordered on vote to decer- tify air controllers' union B8 Washington Talk Briefing A20 Nancy Reagan stopping accept- ance of loans of gowns A20 Totals of food stamp users remain a shifting target A20 Decisions: Valve on heating de- vice recalled by maker A20 Federal Elections Commission battles Lance and Udall cases A20 General Around the Nation A16 Tennessee prison riddled with ra- cial violence A16 Growth of nearby Bath shipyard spills over to Portland, Me. A16 Fire heavily damages dozen stores in Jamaica mall B3 Missing retarded girl is found un- hurt in Manhattan B4 Health/Science Space shuttle is moved to its launching pad A16 Living Section Food Improvisation: Unlocking a se- cret of great cooking C1 Assessing freshness of city's meat and poultry C1 Capital eating: A critic's obser- vations C3 The 60-Minute Gourmet C3 Best Buys C8 Personal Health: Diet for dia- betics may be beneficial for all C12 Living Mrs. Reagan deplores a drug ''epidemic'' C1 Metropolitan Diary C2 Kitchen Equipment: salad dryers C2 Wine Talk: California whites worth a try C14 Toy fair unwraps the latest of- ferings C16 After death, mementos that mean a life C16 Arts/Entertainment Four closings bolster belief lack of hits hurts Broadway C17 A requiem for Lightnin' Hopkins, poet of the blues C17 Lou Ann Barton, new singer who beat the odds C17 ''Brainstorm'' resumes shooting, following Natalie Wood's death C18 Douglas Fairbairn's ''Down and Out in Cambridge'' is reviewed C22 Simon Preston, Westminster Abbey organist, at Trinity C22 ''Denmark Vesey's Rebellion,'' episode in slave history, onPBS C23 ''Lakeboat,'' David Mamet's first play, at Long Wharf C23 Lois Gibbs and her fight against Love Canal on CBS-TV C23 Gregg Smith Singers offer evening of Stravinsky C24 Sports Islanders win 13th in row, down- ing Penguins, 6-2 B9 Mavericks beat Knicks on last- second shot by Cooper, 112-110 B9 Cosmos disimis Weisweiler B9 Hard-pressed city schools try to raise funds for sports B9 Mavericks' Vincent gains respect B9 Seton Hall snaps 11-game losing streak B10 George Vecsey on keeping Knicks and Rangers in city B13 Features/Notes Questions and Answers: changes to student financial aid A18 About New York B3 Notes on People B4 Sports People B12 News Analysis Drew Middleton looks at Israel's worries on balance of power A10 Adam Clymer on Mondale's Mid- west campaign effort A15 Clyde Haberman discusses Koch's recent choices of topics B3 Editorials/Letters/Op-Ed Editorials A22 To the Middle East, by carpet Remember strategic minerals? Coining confusion on gold Topics: social history Letters A22 Russell Baker: telephones and the boxing game A23 Robert Neild: European self-de- fense A23 Dorothy J. Samuels and Norma Rollins: lie detectors lie A23 Michael Kallenbach: Irish voters' problem is economics A23 Andrea Lee: black and well-to-do in America A23

Senator Harrison A. Williams Jr. of New Jersey was sentenced today to three years in prison and fined $50,000 on charges of bribery and conspiracy. The charges grew out of the Justice Department's Abscam investigation into political corruption. As Judge George C. Pratt imposed the sentence in Federal District Court here, the 62-year-old Democrat, a Senator for 23 years, sat glumly at the defense table. But minutes before, standing at a lectern before the bench in a courtroom crowded with reporters and other observers, Mr. Williams declared: ''I came into this court believing and knowing I was innocent of the crimes charged. I leave this court believing and knowing I am innocent of the crimes charged.''

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission opened the way for a broad expansion of futures trading based on stock market indexes today by approving a proposal by the Kansas City Board of Trade to deal in such instruments. The futures trading in Kansas City, Mo., will be based on the Value Line Average Stock Index of nearly 1,700 issues, most of which are listed on the New York Stock Exchange. A futures contract based on the index would, in effect, give the purchaser an interest in stocks represented by that index. Also pending before the commission are plans by the Chicago Board of Trade, the Commodity Exchange Inc., the New York Futures Exchange and the Chicago Mercantile Exchange to offer their own versions of stock index futures. Philip McBride Johnson, chairman of the commission, said that the agency had not yet decided when to consider those additional requests.