December 24, 1984

If skies are clear early tomorrow morning, residents throughout much of western North America should be able to see the creation of the first artificial comet. Because of its timing, scientists have dubbed it the Christmas Comet. The artificial comet is to be produced in the southern sky by the release of barium vapor from a West German spacecraft 70,000 miles above the Pacific off Peru. The barium, acting as a dye, is intended to trace the flow past the Earth of the solar wind, a thin gas blowing outward from the Sun at a million miles per hour.

MONDAY, DECEMBER 24, 1984 International Chinese-Soviet cooperation pacts have been agreed on by Peking and Moscow, China announced. The four agreements include the first long- term trade pact that the two Communist powers have negotiated since their break a quarter of a century ago. (Page 1, Column 6.) Knives and forks for China, instead of the chopsticks that have been used for 3,500 years, have been urged by one of China's leaders. (1:5.)

At Mayor Koch's request, police patrols were sharply increased on the city's subway system for the holiday crowds yesterday as detectives hunted a gunman who shot four teen-agers on a subway train in lower Manhattan Saturday. The strengthened patrols for stations and platforms, involving more than 3,000 city and transit police officers, began yesterday afternoon and were to continue until midnight tonight, according to Police Commissioner Benjamin Ward and Transit Police Chief James Meehan. The object, they said, was to ease public fear and provide added protection for an anticipated crush of more than 3.5 million subway riders making final holiday shopping trips, visiting friends and traveling to and from Christmas Eve church services. In announcing the strengthened patrols, Commissioner Ward and other police officials cited Saturday's shooting as one cause of public fear. ''We're doing it because of the shooting and the fear that riders might have,'' Mr. Ward said through a spokesman, Alice T. McGillion. ''It does not mean that we think this guy is going to strike again, but this is a heavy traveling time and we're dealing with a public perception of fear.''

Treasury Department experts envision some changes in the Administration's tax revision plan. Page 33. WASHINGTON, Dec. 23 - President Reagan's budget and tax proposals have touched off a clash between the Administration and state officials, who contend they would lose billions of dollars in Federal support when they are being asked to take greater responsibility for domestic programs. The Administration defends its proposals as necessary and fair. One budget proposal tentatively approved by Mr. Reagan as part of his effort to reduce the Federal deficits in the next three years would eliminate the Federal revenue-sharing program, which has provided $74 billion in all-purpose fiscal assistance since it was established in 1972.

The French voted in 1981 for a Socialist program of jobs, growth, nationalizations and the redistribution of wealth. They elected politicians talking of a new era of creativity and fairness, a time of generosity, of human warmth and solidarity. Midway through President Francois Mitterrand's seven-year term, barely anyone suggests French Socialism has worked out as planned: - The Socialist Government hired more civil servants, shortened the workweek, lengthened vacations and nationalized 11 industrial sectors and 36 banks, but unemployment increased. - The Government decreed more benefits for the retired, the elderly and families, but wage earners for the most part lost purchasing power. - The Government spent money to build schools, to promote culture and the arts, and to develop new technology, but the French wound up with an economic austerity program that tightened even the state's subsidies of medicine and hospital care.