December 9, 1983

When Bell Canada reorganized last April into Bell Canada Enterprises, investors bid up its stock on the expectation that the big utility was preparing to follow its distant cousin, the American Telephone and Telegraph Company, into a future of unregulated growth in high technology. This week, however, the big Montreal-based company confounded those expectations by making a surprise offer for Canada's biggest pipeline company. Bell announced that it had agreed to pay $167 million (Canadian), or $31.50 a share, to acquire the 11.8 percent interest in TransCanada Pipelines Ltd. that is held by Dome Canada. It then offered the same price for all of TransCanada's 45 million shares, or an indicated $1.42 billion.

Texts of statements, Page A16. GENEVA, Dec. 8 - The current round of American-Soviet talks on limiting strategic nuclear arms ended here today with the Russians refusing to set a date for resumption. The Soviet delegation said it felt compelled ''to re-examine all the issues'' in view of the deployment of new American medium-range nuclear missiles in Europe. That deployment has brought about ''a change in the overall strategic situation,'' the Soviet statement said.

Despite three years of rapidly rising budgets, the Navy is far from ready to deploy fully armed and equipped aircraft carriers and air wings in the event of war, a confidential report by the General Accounting Office says. The office, a Congressional investigative agency, said the main reason was that the Navy spent too much money on new ships and planes in the last three years and not enough on maintenance, fuel, ammunition and support equipment. In response to the report, the Navy said it had been trying for two years to overcome the effects of 15 years of inadequate allocations and was beginning to move closer to its desired state of readiness. Situation After 2 Months The accounting office report said that in two months after a war started only 8 of the Navy's 14 carriers could be put to sea ready for battle. It said those carriers could be deployed only by stripping shore bases of weapons and equipment.

Companies Eastern Air Lines and three of its unions reached an accord that is expected to save the airline $330 million in wages next year and bring it $87 million in productivity gains. In return, the unions will get a large say in management decisions and will eventually own about one-fourth of the company's common stock. Many hard- pressed companies have forged similar concession agreements in recent weeks, experts observed, but thus far none have given up so many management rights in the process. (Page A1.) U.S. Steel is warning some 4,700 employees that their jobs could be eliminated if they do not accept further concessions. (D5.)

An article in Business Day yesterday about the Bank of America misstated the number of branches to be closed in 1984. It is 120.