January 28, 1984

The often- bitter dissension within the Reagan Administration on economic policy has erupted anew over passages in a draft of the Economic Report of the President. The report is scheduled to be submitted to Congress on Thursday. The draft was written by Martin S. Feldstein, the chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers, the official who customarily plans and drafts the Economic Report. Most of the opposition is concentrated in the Treasury Department, a frequent adversary of Mr. Feldstein, and in the Commerce Department, which has supported Mr. Feldstein on some issues and fought him on others.

Brazil will receive $6.5 billion in new loans under an accord with commercial banks. Page 39. By CLYDE H. FARNSWORTH WASHINGTON, Jan. 27 - The Commerce Department has determined that the United States should impose high penalty duties on Brazilian steel that the department says is being shipped to this country at unfairly low prices. The penalty duties recommended in an internal staff memorandum could as much as double the selling price of the steel involved in the investigation. That steel, plate and sheet used mainly by the automobile and capital goods industries, is priced at $200 to $300 a ton, compared with about $500 for the domestic products.

The Mayor of Binghamton, N.Y., Juanita Crabb, attended a top-level Administration briefing of Republican mayors at the White House Thursday and shook hands with President Reagan at a reception today. Her presence was unexceptional in every way but one: She is a Democrat. And not only is Mrs. Crabb a Democrat, she presides over a Democratic city and is seeking a place as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention, pledged to former Vice President Walter F. Mondale. The White House, it seems, made a mistake.

A computer in Texas containing the names, addresses and other detailed information about 80 million Americans is providing Walter F. Mondale with daily assistance in his drive for the Democratic Presidential nomination. Using information from the Texas computer that has been merged with computerized lists of telephone numbers and registered voters, Mondale supporters in New Hampshire have begun making thousands of calls each day attempting to identify voters who support the former Vice President or give signs that they might be persuaded to back him. Because of technical improvements in the last four years and the skill and experience of many of Mr. Mondale's key aides, experts from both parties believe the current computer effort of the Mondale for President Committee is more sophisticated than any other political campaign mounted in the United States, including the highly successful 1980 Republican drive to win the White House. But the Republican party, which for 10 years has been honing its computer expertise, is certain to wage an intense and highly competive technology struggle in the coming months.

State and Federal agencies joined efforts in the past year in a new, tougher fight against casinos suspected of skimming gambling winnings and passing the money to concealed owners in organized crime. The first target of this new crackdown is the Stardust hotel and casino, described by one Federal agent as a flagship of organized crime in Las Vegas. On Sept. 30, 1983, and again on Jan. 11, the Stardust and associated holdings were hit with Federal indictments charging skimming, a process by which some of the casino's profits are secretly diverted before they are entered on the books, and with hidden ownership. Also on Jan. 11, Allan D. Sachs, sole owner of record of Trans Sterling Inc., which controls the Stardust, Fremont and Sundance hotels and casinos, bowed to pressure from state gaming regulators who threatened to close the casinos and agreed to sell the company within 130 days. He and another Trans Sterling official also agreed to pay a $3 million fine for failing to halt skimming at the Stardust and waived their rights to appeal any action taken by the state against them.