41.   The contractors said Griffin suggested they hire Simmons to get the bill through the General Assembly.

42.   The contractors said they had fixed the problem so that all incoming e-mail messages are now recorded in a form that makes them searchable.

43.   The contractors say they can pass on the higher labor costs, provided that the union organizes the entire industry in New York.

44.   The contractor said they are really separated, adding that they were full of moisture when they were installed, and shrank as they dried out.

45.   The contractor says it simply miscalculated.

46.   The contractors say that the work- ers exaggerate hours.

47.   The Houston-based rig contractor also said it was advised by a union representative that the strike had been called off.

48.   The only problem, said the contractor, is that the back door now opens the wrong way, blocking entry to the newly enclosed porch.

49.   The next night, the pool contractor said I was ready for water.

50.   They are starting to buckle, and the contractor said he has never seen such a thing.