Editing Procuration (section)

==Etymology, history, and usage==
The correct usage is the subject of some debate. It has been understood as both "through the agency of" and "on behalf of".<ref>[http://law.ato.gov.au/atolaw/view.htm?docid=PSR/PS200210/NAT/ATO/00001 ATO Practice Statement Law Administration, PS LA 2002/10 (Withdrawn)], Australian Taxation Office, accessed 21 March 2016.</ref><ref>[http://www.wordwizard.com/phpbb3/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=7221 "per pro"], WordWizard, accessed 21 March 2016.</ref>

The reason for this is that the meaning of the phrase ''per procurationem'' is ambiguous if used with undeclinable English names.

Procuratio is related to the words "pro" (for/on behalf of/instead of) and  "cura" (care/attention).  It is thus close in meaning to "agency" — acting instead of someone.  The phrase 'per procurationem' thus means "by/through agency".

Note that the phrase does not contain a preposition "of". This is because this idea would be expressed through the genitive case in Latin. With time, Latin or Latinized names fell out of usage, and the genitive case of the agent's name (in English "'''of''' Mr X") was thus lost.  
The original would look like this:

::Praeses
::per procurationem Secretarii

or

::Michael Angelo Baltazar Senior
::per procurationem Josephi Bloggi Junioris (by agency of Joe Bloggs Jr.)

This seems to be the most simple and logical reading.

The other option is that "per procurationem" could be understood as a complete adverbial phrase in itself — "by the agency <nowiki>[of another]</nowiki>", without a dependent genitive. However, this would mean that two people signed the letter, one in his own person, one "by the agency of another" (without that other being expressly indicated).