1. Generally this court will not decide constitutional questions unless a decision on the constitutional question is essential to a proper determination of the cause. Oglesby v. State, 123 Ga. 506 ( 51 S.E. 505); Harper v. Davis, 197 Ga. 762, 765 ( 30 S.E.2d 481); Richmond County v. Harper, 206 Ga. 517 ( 57 S.E.2d 595). In the present case, the petitioners base their action upon the alleged invalidity of the acts of 1941 (Ga. L. 1941, p. 382) and 1951 (Ga. L. 1951, p. 85), providing for a cadastral survey in certain counties.