Sentence:  Finally , since the public 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 <WSD>price</WSD> 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:  the property of having material worth (often indicated by the amount of money something would bring if sold)