September 29, 1992

CANNIBALISM, at least among animals, may not be as bad as it sounds. Biologists once considered the eating of an individual's own species a behavioral mistake made by animals that were unnaturally overcrowded or hungry. But after new analyses, scientists have begun to see the consumption of one's fellow beings as a shrewd strategy for survival. In fact, among some species, cannibalism is so common that it has molded some of the animal world's most elaborate social behaviors, including courtship and parental care.

Unless we take action now," wrote Ross Perot in the preface to his deficit reduction plan, "our nation may confront a situation similar to the Great Depression -- and maybe even worse." Relatively few mainstream economists buy Mr. Perot's jeremiad at face value. And fewer still believe that the Perot plan, suddenly in the spotlight again now that he seems poised to re-enter the Presidential race, is more than the roughest of drafts for what amounts to a sea change in budget priorities in the midst of a recession. Nowhere does Mr. Perot tackle the sticky question of how many jobs or how much output should be sacrificed in order to put the plan into effect if the economy has not yet fully recovered. Nor does he acknowledge that the plan asks relatively little sacrifice of those who benefited most from the great tax cuts of the 1980's.

AFTER all these centuries of calumny, the Philistines are finally having some good things said about them. They were not, it seems, deserving of that withering epithet: Philistine. Archeologists are uncovering increasing evidence that the Philistines, arch foes of the Israelites in biblical times whose name became synonymous with barbarity and boorishness, were actually the creators of fine pottery and grand architecture, clever urban planners and cosmopolitan devotees of the grape. If anything, the Israelites, at the time mostly shepherds and farmers in the hills, were the less-sophisticated and -cultured folk.

There was Town Supervisor Paul Feiner, in his wrinkled suit (as usual) on the defensive (again) at a tense public meeting here on Wednesday night. This time, some residents called him a racist because he suspended a black town employee and, before a police investigation was complete, accused the man of skimming town funds. The week before, Mr. Feiner had been defending himself against claims that he had abused his power in this Westchester town by improperly trying to control the independent housing authority.

IN the next several weeks, scientists intend to blast an 11-pound projectile from a 155-foot-long cannon into a California hill. If the novel gun works as planned, the shot will be a long step toward realizing Jules Verne's dream of firing a shell to the Moon. The test shot by scientists at the Lawrence Livermore Laboratory in California is intended to demonstrate that an ultra-high-velocity gun hitherto used only for laboratory research can be adapted to send payloads into space at only about one-fortieth what it costs to orbit them by space shuttle. If a projectile from this type of gun were equipped with a small rocket booster, it could be fired directly from the Earth into a lunar orbit, the scientists believe.

NEW YORK CITY OFFICERS ASSAILED OVER PROTEST Acting Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly ordered the disciplining of 42 police officers in a harshly critical report that condemned police behavior in the recent demonstration at City Hall. The report assailed as "unruly" and "perhaps criminal" the behavior of some officers who took over the steps of City Hall and blocked traffic on the Brooklyn Bridge. At the same time, the report said that the response of commanders and officers assigned to control the demonstration was "lethargic at best." It singled out a captain and two sergeants for failing to maintain the police lines, as well as a uniformed officer who it said had waved protesters past barricades at City Hall while he shouted racial slurs. A1 and B3. FACT OR FICTION: LEAD SCARE AT P.S. 3 At P.S. 3, people had to decide whether their school was safe from lead, and they had trouble doing so. And in the end, as in the beginning, some felt that it was still dangerous, while others thought it never was. Lead is a substance that many children encounter in playgrounds, on the subway and in their own bedrooms. But there are no guidelines for acceptable lead content in most places or in schools, which makes it difficult to judge the health hazards, regardless of how much testing is done. A1.

Law-enforcement authorities from the United States, Colombia and Italy announced today that they had arrested more than 165 people on charges related to the laundering of money from worldwide sales of cocaine by the Sicilian Mafia and Colombian cocaine cartels. American and Italian officials said their investigations supported recent assertions of closer cooperation between the Sicilian mob and the Colombian cocaine industry. The Mafia, they said, acquired large amounts of Colombian cocaine for distribution throughout Europe.

Despite their disappointments, the followers of Ross Perot remain committed, even as they listen to Bush and Clinton pitches. Page A18.

Lisa Narducci gets up at 5 every morning to commute to the Coney Island Water Pollution Control Project. With the acrid stench of sewage rising around her, she drills and saws through plywood, crawls over hot concrete and lifts wooden planks -- all part of her day's work as a carpenter. There are no separate changing rooms for her or the other five women on the job. There are no separate bathrooms. The trailers have pin-ups of naked women on the wall. Sometimes, a co-worker or supervisor says he doubts she can do her job.

International European finance ministers opposed a "two speed" approach to monetary unification that would allow one group of nations to proceed quickly toward a single currency but let others deal first with domestic economic problems. [ Page D1. ] Markets The dollar closed below 120 yen to the dollar, as currency traders grew increasingly concerned about the economy and the Presidential race. In New York, it fell to 119.65 yen. [ D17. ] Blue-chip stocks rebounded on bargain hunting with the Dow Jones industrial average up 25.94 points at 3,276.26. [ D7. ] Treasury bond prices rose on expectations that Friday's unemployment report would be weak enough that the Federal Reserve would push down interest rates. [ D19. ] Orange juice futures prices toppled amid talk of excess production. Oil prices rose, but natural gas fell. [ D17. ] The Economy Ross Perot's plan for a balanced budget is simple: Reduce spending and generate revenues. Economists applaud that notion, although Mr. Perot does not tackle the question of how many jobs or how much output should be sacrificed for the plan. [ D1. ] A bill to regulate Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which dominate the home mortgage industry, was withdrawn from a scheduled House vote this week by Representative Henry B. Gonzalez, head of the Banking Committee, after Fannie Mae began opposing it. [ D2. ] Companies Medical Care America's shares fell $2.875 to $22.125, despite efforts by company executives to halt its free fall in an hourlong conference with analysts and big investors. [ D3. ] Robert Johnson left Bankers Trust for Soros Fund Management, the aggressive investment adviser for the $4 billion in four funds in the Quantum group. [ D5. ] The U.A.W. tentatively agreed to end a four-day strike against G.M. in Lansing, Mich., its second in recent days. [ D4. ] R. H. Macy & Company's losses deepened by $34.7 million in August, papers filed with the Federal Bankruptcy Court showed. The bankrupt retailer's sales fell 8.2 percent, to $462.4 million. [ D4. ] Olympia & York's American arm intends to ask its creditors on Wednesday for permission to withhold principal repayments on its American holdings for five more years. [ D4. ] Conner Peripherals named David T. Mitchell president and chief operating officer, succeeding William J. Almon, who becomes vice chairman. Mr. Mitchell formerly held those jobs at Seagate Technology, Conner's key rival in computer disk drives. [ D13. ] Robert B. Palmer plans to make Digital Equipment more customer-driven with a more focused organizational structure after he takes over as chief executive of the money-losing company on Thursday, PC Week reported. [ D4. ] Computerized "Star Trek" playgrounds are planned at malls under a licensing plan from Paramount Pictures. Virtual reality games, using complex software, will create the illusion of being immersed in a life-size fantasy world. [ D4. ] Goodyear's chief financial officer resigned abruptly. The move by 50-year-old Oren G. Shaffer intensified speculation about who will succeed the chairman, Stanley C. Gault. [ D5. ] Today's Columns Health insurance has become a hotly contested political issue in California with several plans to provide fuller converage on the November ballot. Milt Freudenheim: Business and Health. [ D2. ] The inflow of cash to stock and bond funds has slowed in recent weeks to its lowest level of the year with small investors on the sidelines, fund executives say. Market Place. [ D8. ] Nissan is teasing again, this time showing the car but holding back on the details. By contrast, its Zen-like ads for Infiniti were intended to sell the spirit, not the skin. Advertising. [ D21. ]

167 Lost in Nepal Air Crash A Pakistani jet plowed into a pine-covered hillside near Katmandu, and rescuers reported no survivors among the 167 aboard, most of them European tourists. Page A8. Europe Money Plan Opposed European finance ministers opposed a plan to let some nations move toward a single currency while others deal with domestic woes. Page D1. Bidding Begins in N.F.L. The San Francisco 49ers and the Miami Dolphins became the first teams to agree to sign players granted unlimited free agency. Page B9. Now, About the Philistines Though maligned, they were cultured and may even have descended from the Mycenaean Greeks, archeologists say. Science Times, page C1.

Juggling yet another delicate issue handed him by Congress at peak election season, President Bush vetoed legislation tonight that would restrict China's trade with the United States unless the Chinese improved their records on human rights, free trade and arms proliferation. It appeared that there would not be enough votes in Congress to override the veto, meaning that Beijing's favorable trade status would continue for another year. Bush's Rationale In a statement issued in Dallas, where he was campaigning, Mr. Bush said he completely shares the objectives of the legislation. But he argued that punishing China by restricting its American trade would only hurt ordinary Chinese citizens and American companies that sell goods there.