Sentence:  Finally , since the <WSD>public</WSD> requires some restraint on the part of the companies , larger wage increases call for less than proportionately larger price increases ( e. g. , if a wage increase of 5 % allows a price increase of 7 % , a wage increase of 10 % allows a price increase of something less than 14 % ) . 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  people in general considered as a whole