The men who have inspired the advertising policy of the "Underground" railways of London have achieved for their company a widespread fame, so that now the posters which they issue for the purpose of calling attention to the travel facilities offered by their Tubes have become famous for their cleverness and beauty all over Great Britain and in art circles in the United States as well. The bills of other concerns shown on the station premises are wisely selected, and put up with such taste that the stations on the "Tubes" are regarded as the exhibition galleries of the best and newest things in the matter of poster art. The "Underground", therefore, has become quite an important place for such advertising.
The premises lend themselves to the effective display of advertisements, and the extent to which the spaces are used provides an eloquent testimony to the value of this form of advertising, all commercial advertisements on the company's lines being now controlled by the railway company.
Posters on the Underground are not subjected to the vagaries of the weather, and their long life means economy in printing. There is no night on the Underground, and the advertisements are brilliantly illuminated for 10 hours daily. The number of passengers by whom these advertisements are seen is steadily growing, and last year the number using the principal- stations was as follows: — Charing Cross, 54,000,000; Piccadilly Circus, 36,000,000; Oxford Circus, 36,000,000; Hammersmith, 30,000,000; Tottenham Court Road, 28,000,000; Leicester Square, 26,000,000; Earl's Court, 21,000,000.
Many far-reaching improvements are now in progress on the svstem or have already been carried out, and these will enhance its value as an advertising medium. For instance, the Hampstead line was extended from Golders Green to Hendon in November, 1023, and will be further extended to Edgware this summer. The northern portion of the reconstructed City & South London line was opened in April, 1024, together with a new line from Euston to Camden Town forming a link with the Hampstead Tube, and enabling through trains to run direct from Hendon, Golders Green and Highgate to the City.
The southern portion of the City & South London line will be re-opened this autumn, and the further extension of the line from Clapbam Common to Morden will be finished about the end of 1925.
Facilities are offered on the "Underground" for the prompt display of advertisements and for quick changes of copy. The lifts are fitted with patent frames with moveable fronts, which enable rapid changes to be made, and the side panels of the cars have also been similarly fitted.
The Railways comprising the "Underground" group consist of the London Electric Railway (Piccadilly, Bakerloo and Hampstead Tubes), Central London Railway, Re-constructed City & South London Railway, District Railway; owning approximately 135 stations, 1,550 cars, and 250 lifts and escalators.
